Boechera tularensis, common name Tulare rockcress, is a plant species endemic to California. It has been reported from Inyo, Mono, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, El Dorado and Mariposa Counties. It grows on rocky slopes in subalpine habitats at elevations of 2400–3200 m.[1][2]

Boechera tularensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Boechera
Species:
B. tularensis
Binomial name
Boechera tularensis
Windham & Al-Shehbaz

Boechera tularensis is a biennial or short lived perennial herb, probably reproducing by apomixis (asexual production of cloned seeds). It can reach a height of up to 70 cm. Flowers are white to pale lavender with 6-7mm petals and bloom in June and July.[1][3][4][5] Its fruit is appressed and 4–8.5 cm long.[6] The plant is listed as "rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere" and is considered imperilled globally [7]

Morphological evidence suggests that Boechera tularensis is an apomictic species that contains three different genomes, one each from B. rectissima, B. retrofracta, and B. stricta. It is most often confused with B. pinetorum and B. retrofracta, but can be distinguished. It is known from the southern Sierra Nevada (Fresno and Tulare counties).[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Flora of North America v 7 p 410.
  2. ^ BONAP (Biota of North America Project), Floristic synthesis
  3. ^ Windham, Michael D. & Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan Ali. 2007. Harvard Papers in Botany 12(1): 249–250.
  4. ^ Warwick, S. I., A. Francis & I. A. Al-Shehbaz. 2006. Brassicaceae: Species checklist and database on CD-Rom. Plant Systematics and Evolution 259: 249–258.
  5. ^ "Calflora: Boechera tularensis". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  6. ^ "Jepson Herbarium: Jepson Flora Project: Jepson eFlora: Boechera tularensis". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  7. ^ "CNPS Inventory Plant Detail". www.rareplants.cnps.org. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  8. ^ "Boechera tularensis in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2015-05-18.