Plant Name
Scientific Name: Arabis perennans
Common Names: Perennial Rockcress, Stiffarm Rock Cress
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: Violet, Pink
Flowering Season: Spring (desert), Summer (mountains)
Height: To 2 feet (61 cm) tall
Description: The 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide, 4-petaled flowers are on stiff, horizontal stems. The flowers are followed by long, slender seed pods that are held horizontally to the stems. The basal leaves are toothed and spoon-shaped, while those on the lower stems are narrow and straplike.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Capparales
Family: Brassicaceae – Mustard family
Genus: Arabis L. – rockcress
Species: Arabis perennans S. Watson – perennial rockcress
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