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Boechera sp. Synonym:
Arabis sp. Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Semi-desert,
foothills, montane. Woodlands, shrublands, openings. Spring, summer. It is fairly clear that the greenish-yellow coloring at left belongs to the leaves of some small plant, but from the height of a hiker passing by, this color seems to be from minute yellow flowers. This plant is typical in height at five inches. |
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What seems to be flowers turns out to be, upon closer inspection, abnormal clusters of leaves covered with tiny, shiny bumps (droplets of super-sweetened nectar) produced by flask-shaped structures, spermagonia.
These structures are the result of a rust fungus, Puccinia monoica, a pathogen afflicting several Mustard species. The shiny, sweet secretions attract pollinators which then spread the fungus -- which can infect plants at various altitudes. The top photo of P. monoica is from a plant found at 6,000 feet and the bottom is from 11,500 feet. |
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Boechera sp. Synonym: Arabis sp. Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Semi-desert,
foothills, montane. Woodlands, shrublands, openings. Spring, summer. The two plants pictured at left are actually one plant; they are growing from the same roots. The stems on the left are healthy and flowering; the stems on the right are infected with Puccinia monoica and will not flower. It is not uncommon to find a number of plants growing within several feet of each other, some infected with rust and some with lovely flowers. |
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Vicia americana Fabaceae (Pea Family) Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands,
meadows. Summer. The Puccinia rust affects a number of native wildflowers and although I do not find many infected plants, the more aware I am, the more I find. I have not been able to identify this species of Puccinia. |