Perennial Rockcress
Boechera perennans
Family: Brassicaceae
This is an unusual plant (for a plant in the mustard family) that grows about one and a half feet or more tall from a woody caudex—in other words, it’s perennial. Most mustards are annuals and don’t live long, but this species is long-lived. Flowers appear in the early spring, depending on how warm it is outside. It goes dormant in the summer in Tucson.
Full to part sun. Provide excellent drainage and moderate water. Hardiness undetermined but this species is native up to 6000’ so probably at least into the teens °F.
Hummingbirds and other nectar feeders visit the flowers. This is a larval food plant for the checkered white (Pontia protodice), Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa), sara orangetip (Anthocharis sara), Becker's white (Pontia beckerii), Spring White (Pontia sisymbrii), western white (Pontia occidentalis), Large Marble (Euchloe ausonides), and Pearly Marble (Euchloe hyantis).
Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Boechera perennans on iNaturalist
Used to treat hiccoughs caused by dry throat; to counter the effects of a bad dream; and taken or made into a lotion to treat general body pain.
Boechera is named after Tyge Wittrock Boecher (1909-1983), born in Copenhagen, an authority on Arctic vegetation and the flora of Greenland who also worked in Argentina; perennans means perennial.
Found on rocky slopes and gravelly soil in warm desert, chaparral, and low montane habitats, below 6,000 ft. in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Texas, south into northern Mexico.