Boechera elkoensis
Elko rockcress
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Elko rockcress is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada and northern eastern Sierra Nevada in gravelly-rocky soil within open forest and subalpine meadows at elevations of 2,050 to 3,150 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces lavender to white flowers approximately 4 to 7 millimeters long in small clusters of 4 to 11 blossoms. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it emerges from a slightly woody caudex with stems bearing star-shaped hairs near the base. Its basal leaves are narrow, 2 to 6 millimeters wide, with sparse star-shaped hairs, while upper leaves become progressively glabrous. The fruit develops as an erect, slender silique 3 to 7 centimeters long with slightly wavy edges.
Habitat: Gravelly-rocky soil in open forest, subalpine meadows
Bloom period: Jul
Elevation: 2050-3150 m
Bioregions: n&c SNH, n SNE
California counties: Mono, Nevada, Tulare, Tuolumne, Fresno, Inyo
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.