Boechera pulchra
Beautiful rockcress
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Boechera pulchra (Beautiful rockcress) is a native California perennial in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by . Key features: large purple flowers, strongly reflexed hairy wide fruits.
Beautiful rockcress is a California native perennial found in eastern Sierra Nevada, southern Great Valley, southern South Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, southern Eastern Sierra, and eastern Mojave Desert in rocky, gravelly, sandy slopes of chaparral, sagebrush scrub, and evergreen woodland at elevations of 600 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces purple to white flowers 9 to 16 millimeters long on delicate inflorescences with up to 25 flowers. Growing with erect stems 30 to 75 centimeters tall that emerge from a woody caudex, it has distinctive short-stalked, branched hairs covering its lower stem. Its basal leaves are narrow, 1 to 3 millimeters wide, with complex multi-rayed hairs and entire margins. The fruits are strongly reflexed and hairy, measuring 3.3 to 8 centimeters long with 68 to 106 seeds arranged in two rows.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 29 sympatric species. Key features: large purple flowers, strongly reflexed hairy wide fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky, gravelly, sandy slopes in chaparral, sagebrush scrub, evergreen woodland
Elevation: 600-2800 m
California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Riverside, San Diego, Mono, Santa Barbara, Imperial
Outside California: Nevada, Baja California
Bloom period
Boechera pulchra blooms Mar-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Arabis: Boechera pods hang downward or curve and are wider (2mm+); Arabis pods stand rigidly erect and are narrower.; vs Matthiola: Boechera has flattened pods; Matthiola has cylindrical pods and densely hairy gray-green foliage.; vs Streptanthus: Boechera petals narrow gradually without a claw; Streptanthus petals have a distinct narrow claw at base.; vs Penstemon: Boechera has four-petaled flowers and seed pods; Penstemon has tubular five-lobed flowers.; vs Caulanthus: Boechera is perennial with a woody base; Caulanthus is typically annual or biennial without a woody caudex.
Frequently asked questions
Is Boechera pulchra native to California?
Yes. Boechera pulchra is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Boechera pulchra bloom?
Boechera pulchra blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Boechera pulchra grow?
Boechera pulchra occurs in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of 600-2800 m.
What plant family does Boechera pulchra belong to?
Boechera pulchra is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Boechera.
What habitat does Boechera pulchra grow in?
Boechera pulchra grows in Rocky, gravelly, sandy slopes in chaparral, sagebrush scrub, evergreen woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.