Boechera davidsonii

(Greene) N. H. Holmgren

Davidson's Rockcress

G3Vulnerable (G3G4) Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.155760
Element CodePDBRA060D0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCapparales
FamilyBrassicaceae
GenusBoechera
Synonyms
Arabis davidsoniiGreene
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Mulligan (1995, Arabis synopsis, Rhodora 97: 109-163) included Arabis davidsonii ( = Boechera davidsonii) in Arabis lyallii. However, Boechera davidsonii is easily distinguished from B.lyallii by the thick covering of persistent leaf bases on caudex branches, ascending fruits, and uniseriate seeds (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2010). "Boechera davidsonii is nearly unique among western North American species of the genus in showing no evidence of hybridization with other species." (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2010).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-31
Change Date2024-07-31
Edition Date2024-07-31
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Rank Reasons
Boechera davidsonii is a perennial herb occurring in ledges and on rock outcrops in lodgepole pine forests, and subalpine and alpine forests of western North America from Oregon and California east to Nevada in the United States. There are 21-300 estimated occurrences of this species, which are potentially threatened by invasive species, drought, wildfire, and other threats in some places. However, Boechera davidsonii is likely buffered somewhat from direct anthropogenic threats due to its remote and largely inaccessible habitat.
Range Extent Comments
Boechera davidsonii occurs in western North America from Oregon and California east to Nevada in the United States (FNA 2010). Range extent was estimated to be over 160,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, NatureServe Network occurrence data, and photo-based observations documented between 1983 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1983 and 2024, there are estimated to be between 21 and 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). This species is likely underrepresented in herbaria collections due to its remote and inaccessible habitat on rock ledges and cliffs.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Boechera davidsonii is potentially threatened by invasive species, drought, wildfire, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely low, given the species' remote and largely inaccessible habitat of ledges and rock outcrops in lodgepole pine forests, and subalpine and alpine forests.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Boechera davidsonii occurs on rock outcrops of ledges and crevices in lodgepole pine forests, subalpine forests, and alpine fell-fields at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 3,400 meters (FNA 2010, CalFlora 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
NevadaS1Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
OregonS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, Long-lived
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Middle YubaTahoe National Forest7,379
RinconSequoia National Forest54,610
Slate Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,299
TinemahaInyo National Forest27,060
References (8)
  1. Al-Shehbaz, I.A. and M.D. Windham. 2020. Flora of North America: <i>Boechera davidsonii</i>. Accessed: September 7, 2022. http://floranorthamerica.org/Boechera_davidsonii
  2. CalFlora. 2024. Information on California plants for education, research and conservation. Berkeley, California: The CalFlora Database [web application]. Available: http://www.calflora.org/. (Accessed 2024).
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
  4. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  5. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  6. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  7. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).