Boechera yorkii
Encyclopedia
Boechera yorkii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by the common name Last Chance rockcress. It is endemic to Inyo County, California
, where it is known only from the Last Chance Range
in Death Valley National Park
. There are only two occurrences known, but the plant occurs in remote, nearly inaccessible mountain territory, so more plants may exist unobserved. The species was only described to science in 2004. Its habitat is rocky mountain canyons on cliffs of dolomite
.
This is a perennial herb growing from a tough, woody caudex
with a basal rosette of narrow linear or lance-shaped leaves coated in branching hairs. The erect stem grows 10 to 30 centimeters tall. It is covered in a feltlike coat of hairs. The inflorescence
atop the stem produces 8 to 35 flowers which grow outward and then droop. The flower has fuzzy-haired sepal
s and four petals each up to a centimeter long. The petals are yellow or brick red in color, or sometimes yellow with brick red tips. The fruit is a hairy silique
up to four centimeters long. It is attached to the stem by a very short stalk which measures one or two millimeters long.
Although the plant is rare, it is not considered particularly vulnerable to human activity because of its remote location in rugged mountain habitat.
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
known by the common name Last Chance rockcress. It is endemic to Inyo County, California
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
, where it is known only from the Last Chance Range
Last Chance Range
for the mountain range of the same name in Nye County, Nevada.The Last Chance Range of California is located near the Nevada state line in eastern Inyo County in the United States....
in Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
. There are only two occurrences known, but the plant occurs in remote, nearly inaccessible mountain territory, so more plants may exist unobserved. The species was only described to science in 2004. Its habitat is rocky mountain canyons on cliffs of dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
.
This is a perennial herb growing from a tough, woody 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...
with a basal rosette of narrow linear or lance-shaped leaves coated in branching hairs. The erect stem grows 10 to 30 centimeters tall. It is covered in a feltlike coat of hairs. The 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...
atop the stem produces 8 to 35 flowers which grow outward and then droop. The flower has fuzzy-haired sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and four petals each up to a centimeter long. The petals are yellow or brick red in color, or sometimes yellow with brick red tips. The fruit is a hairy 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...
up to four centimeters long. It is attached to the stem by a very short stalk which measures one or two millimeters long.
Although the plant is rare, it is not considered particularly vulnerable to human activity because of its remote location in rugged mountain habitat.