Common name:
Desert rockcress
Family:
Scientific name:
Boechera formosa
Main flower color:
Range:
From north Arizona and northwest New Mexico, to south Wyoming
Height:
Up to 20 inches
Habitat:
Sagebrush, pinyon-juniper pine woodland, hillsides; rocky or sandy places, from 4,200 to 6,200 feet
Leaves:
Basal and cauline, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, evenly and densely covered with short, branched hairs
Season:
April to June
Petals of boechera formosa, a long-lasting perennial, are pale lavender to almost white, the color often restricted to the petal tips. They are hairless, around half an inch across, held at right angles to the axis. Sepals are sparsely covered by very short hairs. Pedicles are spreading, at 90 degrees from the stem, and alternately arranged. The fruits though are descending, or reflexed. The inflorescence is an elongated, unbranched cluster, of between seven and 18 flowers.
Stems are held a little way above the ground, on a woody base that is ringed by dead leaves from previous seasons. Leaf hairs are branched, with up to eight rays. Leaves are basal, and along the stem, these numbering between seven and 18 (mostly distal). Laves lack auricles, unlike some similar boechera species.
Stems are held a little way above the ground, on a woody base that is ringed by dead leaves from previous seasons. Leaf hairs are branched, with up to eight rays. Leaves are basal, and along the stem, these numbering between seven and 18 (mostly distal). Laves lack auricles, unlike some similar boechera species.
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