Taxon Report

Boechera serpenticola Windham & Al-Shehbaz

serpentine rockcress

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Boechera serpenticola, commonly known as serpentine rockcress, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 790 to 2100 meters. Boechera serpenticola is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Boechera serpenticola Windham & Al-Shehbaz
Common Name:	serpentine rockcress
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA40110
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	790-2100 (2590-6890)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Serpentine, Talus
Microhabitat Details:	Serpentinite ridges

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2011-05-06

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	4
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	4

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Shasta (SHA), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bully Choop Mtn. (4012257), Dubakella Mtn. (4012342), Smoky Creek (4012332), Thurston Peaks (4012382)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Known only from Bully Choop Mtn. and North Fork Trinity River. Similar to B. subpinnatifida. See Harvard Papers in Botany 11(1):61-88 (2006) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B.2, G1 / S1 (2011)

Boechera serpenticola profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2022)

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].