Taxon Report

Boechera yorkii S. Boyd

Last Chance rockcress

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Taxon Summary

Boechera yorkii, commonly known as Last Chance rockcress, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 2220 to 2410 meters. Boechera yorkii is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Boechera yorkii S. Boyd
Common Name:	Last Chance rockcress
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA40010
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May	May
Elevation:	2220-2410 (7285-7905)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:	Carbonate
Microhabitat Details:	rock outcrops, carbonate (dolomite)

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B on 2005-02-11

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	3
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Last Chance Mtn. (3711736)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	1
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	67 %
Other	2	66%

Notes



Known from only two occurrences near Last Chance Mountain. Not in The Jepson Manual. See Madroño 51(4): 387 (2004) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B, G1 / S1.3 (2005)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 26 October 2025].