Green Rockcress Arabis missouriensis
Green Rockcress is a perennial wildflower native to the lower 48 states. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Borodinia missouriensis, commonly called Missouri rockcress, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to the eastern United States, where it has a highly fragmented range localized in the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, the Interior Highlands, and the Southeast. Its natural habitat is typically on rocky or sandy woodlands and bluffs, in areas of acidic soil. It is generally uncommon throughout most of its range, with exception for the Interior Highlands region. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 5 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.
Related plants
More Arabis →
Sources for this entry (10) Open & cited
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PlantKey’s data is open under CC BY-SA 4.0 — free to reuse and adapt, with attribution and the same licence. Photos keep their own per-image licence + credit (see Sources above).
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