Taxon Report

Boechera rubicundula (Jeps.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz

Mt. Day rockcress

Print Report


Taxon Summary

Boechera rubicundula, commonly known as Mt. Day rockcress, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 1200 to 1200 meters. Boechera rubicundula is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.


  Classification

Scientific Name:
Boechera rubicundula (Jeps.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz
Common Name:
Mt. Day rockcress
Family: Brassicaceae
Element Code: PDBRA40100
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May Apr-May
Elevation: 1200-1200 (3935-3935)
General Habitats: Chaparral
Microhabitat: Rocky, Slopes
Microhabitat Details:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 1
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 0
   Good (B) 0
   Fair (C) 0
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 1
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Clara (SCL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Mt. Day (3712146)

Notes

One Known Occurrence (OKO); known only from the type collection on Mt. Day.
Threats:
Taxonomy:
Similar to B. arcuata and B. breweri ssp. breweri. Differs from B. arcuata in having spatulate to oblanceolate basal leaves, shorter fruiting pedicels with spreading trichomes, and shorter fruits; differs from B. breweri ssp. breweri in having taller stems with at least some 3-rayed trichomes, and slightly descending to horizontal fruiting pedicels with a predominance of 2-rayed trichomes. Windham and Al-Shehbaz (2007) “hypothesize that B. rubicundula is a reproductively competent, apomictic hybrid containing genomes from B. arcuata and B. breweri.” 

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B.1, G1 / S1 (2011)
Flora of California 2:69 (1936)
Harvard Papers in Botany 11(2):257-274 (2007)
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].