Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Boechera

William Weber and the authors of the new Brassicaceae volume of The Intermountain Flora have indicated for several years that even though the Old World Arabis and our New World Boechera are morphologically nearly identical, genetically they are distinct and the species pictured below should be called Boechera, not Arabis. The authors of Intermountain Flora indicate, "The morphological similarities appear to be due to convergent evolution, a curse with which the Brassicaceae burdens us." The authors also indicate that the upcoming volumes of the authoritative Flora of North America will call this genus Boechera.

Until 2005, the USDA plant database and the Synthesis of the North American Flora indicated that this species was called Arabis, not Boechera. John Kartesz's Synthesis now accepts Boechera as the genus name. (Boechera is often pronounced "Boo-ker-uh", "Bow-ker-uh", or "Betch-er-uh".)

There are a number of Boecheras in the Four Corners and specific identification often can only be made by a careful examination of the seeds.

Boechera drummondii. Synonym: Boechera stricta, Arabis drummondii. (Rockcress)
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

Foothills, montane. Woodlands, canyons. Spring, summer.
Bear Creek Trail, June 14, 2005.

This slender member of the Mustard family begins blooming early and is quite common from mid-to-high elevations. Flowers range from white to pink, but, click here and you will see that they may even appear to be yellow early in their growth. Plants continue to elongate and flower for many weeks. Flowers are so small and the stem and leaves so slender, that this is an easily passed-by plant.

"Boechera" is for Danish botanist, Tyge Boecher, and "drummondii" honors botanist, naturalist Thomas Drummond who first collected the seeds of this plant in the northern Rockies. Drummond sent the seeds to England where they were sprouted and in 1829 the resultant plant was named Turritis stricta by Graham. Gray renamed the plant Arabis drummondii in 1863, and the plant has undergone dozens of genus and specific epithet name changes since then, the latest being Al-Shehbaz's 2003, Boechera stricta. (More biographical information about Boecher. More biographical information about Drummond.)

Boechera drummondii. Synonym: Boechera stricta, Arabis drummondii. (Rockcress)
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

Foothills, montane. Woodlands, canyons. Spring, summer.
Bear Creek Trail, June 14, 2005.

Flowers, leaves, and two inch seed pods all have a vertical stance.