''Boechera holboellii'', or Holbøll's rockcress, is a species of plant in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...

. Its

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

has been much studied by the Danish botanist

Tyge W. Böcher Tyge Wittrock Böcher (25 October 1909 – 15 March 1983) was a Danish botanist, evolutionary biologist, plant ecologist and phytogeographer. He was born in Copenhagen to physician Einar Böcher and wife Cathinca née Andersen. ''Steen B. Böch ...

. Circumscription of this species has varied, with earlier works treating it as a widespread, polymorphic species with several varieties, while more recently it has been treated as a much more narrowly defined species from

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

. The rust fungus '' Puccinia monoica'' infects the plant leading to pseudoflowers, which mimic those of yellow, early spring wildflowers (e.g. buttercups), not only in visible light but also in ultraviolet.Roy BA: Floral mimicry by a plant pathogen. In: Nature. 362, 1993, S. 56-5
online
/ref> The specific epithet commemorates

Carl Peter Holbøll Carl Peter Holbøll (1795–1856) was an officer in the Danish Royal Navy, Greenland colonial officer and explorer of the Greenlandic fauna. Holbøll served as Royal Inspector of Colonies and Whaling in North Greenland (1825–1828), then Inspec ...

- a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

civil servant and early explorer of the

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

Similar species

The type of ''B. holboellii'' is

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

, from Greenland. There is some evidence that it might also be present in eastern Canada. It is not clear whether polyploids of ''B. holboellii'' (as narrowly defined) exist. The following diploid species have been distinguished: * ''B. pendulocarpa'', in the mountains of western North America * ''B. collinsii'', east of the Rocky Mountains * ''B. polyantha'', from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington * ''B. retrofracta'', widespread from Ontario to Alaska, California, and Montana

References

External links

*Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelag

Boechera, holboellii Flora of North America {{Brassicales-stub