Grouse Creek rockcress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grouse Creek rockcress |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Boechera
|
| Species: |
falcatoria
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Arabis falcatoria |
|
Boechera falcatoria is a special kind of flowering plant. It used to be called Arabis falcatoria. People often call it the Grouse Creek rockcress. This plant belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which also includes plants like broccoli and cabbage!
This rockcress is very rare. It only grows in one place: Utah in the United States. You can find it specifically in Box Elder County. This means it is endemic to that area, which means it naturally lives only there and nowhere else in the world. Some people thought it might grow in nearby Nevada, but those reports were probably mistakes.
What Does It Look Like?
The Grouse Creek rockcress is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years, coming back each growing season. It is also an herb, so it has soft stems instead of woody ones like a tree.
This plant grows several stems that can reach about 20 to 30 centimeters tall. That's about the length of a school ruler! The lower parts of its stems and the leaves near the ground are a bit hairy.
The plant produces pretty flowers. These flowers grow in a cluster called a raceme. Each cluster has about 6 to 15 flowers. Their petals can be white or a light purple color, like lavender.
After the flowers bloom, the plant makes fruit. The fruit is a long, curving pod called a silique. It looks a bit like a sickle, which is a curved farming tool. These pods can grow up to 6.5 centimeters long.
Where Does It Grow?
The Grouse Creek rockcress likes to grow in specific places. You can find it on open, rocky areas. It prefers sandy and gravelly soil. These are often places where not many other plants can grow easily.
How Rare Is It?
Scientists know about this plant from only a few times it has been found. Because it's so rare, we don't know much about how many of these plants exist in the wild. More research is needed to understand its population and how to protect it.
