Boechera retrofracta

Reflexed rockcress

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Reflexed rockcress is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin in rock outcrops, sandy soil, grassland, sagebrush steppe, and open conifer forest at elevations of 900 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces white to lavender flowers 4 to 8 millimeters long in inflorescences with 15 to 140 flowers. Growing 1.5 to 10 decimeters tall with stems emerging from a basal rosette and featuring short-stalked, 2 to 8-rayed hairs, it has a short-lived, non-woody caudex. Its basal leaves are 2 to 7 millimeters wide, entire or occasionally dentate, while cauline leaves range from 15 to 40, with distal leaves being hairy. The distinctive fruit is strongly reflexed, 3.5 to 9 centimeters long, and generally appressed with 60 to 116 ovules.

Habitat: rock outcrops, sandy soil, in grassland, sagebrush steppe, open conifer forest

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 900-3312 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH, GB

California counties: Kern, San Diego, Lassen, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, El Dorado, Trinity, Modoc, Sierra, Plumas, Siskiyou, Nevada, Mariposa, Fresno, Calaveras, San Bernardino, Madera, Santa Barbara, Alpine, Glenn, Amador, Mendocino, Tuolumne, Riverside, Placer, Shasta, Tehama, Humboldt, Los Angeles

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