Boechera sparsiflora
Encyclopedia
Boechera sparsiflora is a species of rockcress
known by the common names sicklepod rockcress and elegant rockcress. It is native to western North America from California
to Utah
to Yukon
, where it can be found in a number of habitats. This is a coarsely hairy perennial herb growing one or more thick stems from a caudex
. The stem may branch or not and it reaches up to 90 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves vary in shape from linear to arrowhead-like and may or may not have toothed edges. They are usually hairy and up to 8 or 10 centimeters long. The raceme
inflorescence
bears a number of flowers with spoon-shaped petals about a centimeter long in shades of purple or pink. The fruit is a large, curved silique
6 to 12 centimeters long
Boechera
Boechera is a genus of the family Brassicaceae. It was named after the Danish botanist Tyge W. Böcher , who was known for his research in alpine plants, including the mustards Draba and Boechera holboellii...
known by the common names sicklepod rockcress and elegant rockcress. It is native to western North America from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, where it can be found in a number of habitats. This is a coarsely hairy perennial herb growing one or more thick stems from a caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. The stem may branch or not and it reaches up to 90 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves vary in shape from linear to arrowhead-like and may or may not have toothed edges. They are usually hairy and up to 8 or 10 centimeters long. The raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears a number of flowers with spoon-shaped petals about a centimeter long in shades of purple or pink. The fruit is a large, curved silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
6 to 12 centimeters long