Borodinia is a small genus of flowering plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), order Brassicales. The genus was established by the Russian botanist Nikolai Busch in 1921, who named it to honor his compatriot Ivan Borodin, a prominent plant physiologist. It comprises around eight to nine species of herbaceous plants (rockcresses) with a disjunct native range: some species occur in southern Siberia and northern China, while others are native to eastern Canada and the central and eastern United States.
Species of Borodinia were long included within the closely related genus Boechera (a group of North American rockcresses also in Brassicaceae). Following a 2013 molecular phylogenetic study of the clade, these species were segregated into their own genus based on genetic evidence. Notable members include Borodinia canadensis, widespread across eastern North America, Borodinia laevigata (smooth rockcress), and Borodinia serotina, a rare species endemic to the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.
Etymology
The genus name Borodinia was coined by Russian botanist Nikolai Busch in 1921 to honor Ivan Borodin (1847–1930), a distinguished Russian plant physiologist and botanist. The epithet follows the standard Latinization of his surname.
Distribution
Borodinia has a disjunct native range: several species occur in southern Siberia and northern China, while the majority are native to eastern and central North America, from eastern Canada south through the central and eastern United States. Borodinia serotina is notable as an endemic restricted to Virginia and West Virginia.
Taxonomy Notes
Species now placed in Borodinia were formerly treated as members of Boechera. Their transfer to the reinstated genus Borodinia was supported by a 2013 molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrating that these taxa form a distinct clade. The genus was originally described by Nikolai Busch in 1921 and belongs to the tribe Boechereae within Brassicaceae.
