Pinyon Rockcress Arabis dispar
Pinyon Rockcress is a perennial shrub native to the lower 48 states. It blooms Apr – Jun. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Boechera dispar is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name pinyon rockcress. It is native to eastern California and western Nevada, where it grows in rocky areas in desert and mountain habitat. This is a perennial herb growing from a branching caudex. It produces several erect stems reaching 10 to 25 centimeters tall. The leaves are mostly located about the caudex. They are linear to lance-shaped, coated in white hairs, and one or two centimeters long. The flowers have purple petals. The fruit is a long, narrow, hairless silique up to 7 centimeters long containing round, winged seeds. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 10 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts ~7 caterpillar species
Arabis supports ~7 caterpillar species.
Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.
Recorded feeding on Arabis in North America, including:
+ 8 more species → ↑ show fewer
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Arabis is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Sources for this entry (11) Open & cited
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