Boechera johnstonii

Johnston's rockcress

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Johnston's rockcress is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Peninsular Ranges in the Cuyamaca Mountains and San Jacinto Mountains, growing in rocky areas, gravelly soil, chaparral, grassland, and open oak and pine woodland at elevations of 1,300 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from February to March, this plant produces purple flowers about 9 to 14 millimeters long with petals 2 to 4 millimeters wide. Growing with slender stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it emerges from a woody caudex with stems bearing short-stalked, 4 to 10-rayed hairs. Its basal leaves are 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide, entire, with short-stalked hairs, while cauline leaves are sparse and become progressively smaller up the stem. The fruit develops as a spreading-ascending silique 4 to 6 centimeters long, containing 26 to 34 seeds arranged in a single row.

Habitat: Rocky areas, gravelly soil, in chaparral, grassland, open oak/pine woodland

Bloom period: Feb-Mar

Elevation: 1300-1700 m

Bioregions: PR (Cuyamaca Mtns, SnJt).

California counties: Riverside, San Diego

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.