''Boechera stricta'' ( syn. ''Arabis drummondii'', ''Boechera drummondii'', ''Turritis stricta''Al-Shehbaz, I.A., 2003. ''Transfer of most North American species of ''Arabis'' to ''Boechera'' (Brassicaceae)''. Novon 13(4): 381-391.) is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

mustard family 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 ...

known by the common name Drummond's rockcress. It is native to much of North America, including most of Canada, and the western and northeastern United States.

Habitat and Description

It can be found in many habitat types, including disturbed areas. It is a

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

growing one or more erect stems from a small

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

. The stems may branch near the top and reach heights anywhere between 30 and 90 centimeters. They are generally not hairy. There is a basal clump of widely lance-shaped leaves about the caudex, each up to 8 centimeters long. There are also widely spaced leaves along the stem. The top of the stem is occupied by a narrow

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

of flowers which are usually white, but sometimes light pink. The fruit is a straight, erect

silique A silique or siliqua (plural ''siliques'' or ''siliquae'') is a type of fruit (seed capsule) having two fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. When the length is less than three times the width of the dried fruit i ...

up to 10 centimeters long containing two rows of winged seeds.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
stricta Plants described in 1829 Flora of North America {{brassicales-stub