Taxon Report

Boechera parishii (S. Watson) Al-Shehbaz

Parish's rockcress

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Boechera parishii, commonly known as Parish's rockcress, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Pebble (Pavement) plain, Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1770 to 2990 meters. Boechera parishii is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Boechera parishii (S. Watson) Al-Shehbaz
Common Name:	Parish's rockcress
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA061C0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Arabis parishii

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	1770-2990 (5805-9810)
General Habitats:	Pebble (Pavement) plain, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Carbonate (sometimes), Rocky
Microhabitat Details:	quartzite on clay

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	44
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	11
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	26

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Butler Peak (3411731), Catclaw Flat (3411616), Fawnskin (3411638), Moonridge (3411627), Onyx Peak (3411626), Rattlesnake Canyon (3411636), San Gorgonio Mtn. (3411617)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	25	57 %
ORV activity	19	43%
Development	8	18%
Mining	8	18%
Road/trail construction/maint.	6	13%
Non-native plant impacts	6	13%
Foot traffic/trampling	5	11%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	4	9%
Grazing	3	6%
Non-native animal impacts	2	4%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	2	4%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	2%

Notes



Known only from the San Bernardino Mtns. Threatened by vehicles, carbonate mining, development, grazing, trampling, non-native plants, and road construction. Possibly threatened by illegal dumping. See Rhodora 43(511):468-469 (1941) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 16 November 2025].