Boechera puberula

Silver rockcress

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Silver rockcress is a California native perennial found in eastern Sierra Nevada and Great Basin regions on ledges, rocky slopes, and gravelly hillsides at elevations of 1,300 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate white to lavender flowers 5 to 9 millimeters long in compact clusters. Growing with slender stems 20 to 63 centimeters tall, it develops from a short-lived basal rosette with stems covered in short-stalked, multi-rayed hairs. Its leaves range from basal rosette leaves to numerous cauline leaves, with basal leaves 1.5 to 5 millimeters wide and occasionally dentate. The elongated fruit pods are closely pendent, measuring 3 to 6.5 centimeters long and covered with fine appressed hairs.

Habitat: Ledges, rocky slopes, gravelly hillsides

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1300-2900 m

Bioregions: e SNH, GB

California counties: Siskiyou, Modoc, Inyo, Alpine, Nevada, Tulare, Mono, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen, Kern

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