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Physaria alpestris

alpine twin-pod, Washington bladder-pod, Washington twin-pod

basin bladderpod

Habit Perennials; caudex usually simple, rarely branched, (cespitose); (silvery) pubescent throughout, trichomes several-rayed, rays (1- or) 2-bifurcate, (low-umbonate, tubercles relatively few, small). Perennials; caudex branched, (woody); densely pubescent, trichomes (appressed, except spreading on pedicels and fruits, sessile or short-stalked), several-rayed, rays furcate or bifurcate, (strongly tuberculate throughout).
Stems

several from base, decumbent to ascending, (unbranched), 0.5–1.5 dm.

few from base, erect, (stout), to 1.5 dm (sometimes greatly reduced).

Basal leaves

(petiole slender);

blade obovate, 3–5 cm (width 10–20 mm, base tapering abruptly to petiole), margins entire, (apex rarely slightly acute).

blade suborbicular to rhombic or broadly elliptic, 1–4.5 cm, margins entire, (apex rounded to subacute).

Cauline leaves

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm (width 3–5 mm), margins entire.

(proximal petiolate, distal subsessile);

blade elliptic, 1–4 cm, (distal narrower), margins entire or remotely dentate.

Racemes

subcorymbose.

condensed, (subcorymbose to subumbellate, few-flowered).

Flowers

sepals oblong, 8–10 mm;

petals spatulate, 12–14 mm.

sepals (persistent), broadly ovate or oblong to narrowly elliptic, 5.5–8(–9.5) mm, (lateral pair slightly cucullate, median pair thickened apically, cucullate, usually keeled);

petals (orange to yellow), oblong to obovate, 8–11.5(–14.5) mm, (slightly narrowed to broad claw, margins sinuate, often retuse).

Fruiting pedicels

(divaricate, straight), 5–10 mm.

(horizontal or divaricate-ascending, straight or slightly curved), 5–15 mm, (stout and rigid).

Fruits

didymous, mostly highly inflated (strongly flattened at least in 1/2 toward replum), 14–18 × 14–18 mm, (papery, basal sinus slightly notched, apical open, shallow);

valves (retaining seeds after dehiscence), evenly pubescent;

replum lanceolate, 7–10 mm, width 1.5–2.5 mm, as wide as or wider than fruit, apex acute to acuminate;

ovules 8–10 per ovary;

style 5–7 mm.

(sessile or substipitate), globose, ovoid, or suborbicular, compressed (with marginal and apical constriction), 4–7 mm;

valves pubescent, trichomes contiguous or overlapping, often spreading;

ovules 16–24 per ovary;

style 2–4 mm.

Seeds

flattened, (2–3 mm).

lenticular, ovate in outline.

2n

= 48–52, 52, 64, 67–70.

= 10.

Physaria alpestris

Physaria cinerea

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Alpine scree, rocky ridges, talus slopes, volcanic sands and gravel, serpentine gravel, granitic slopes, mountain shrub, subalpine fir, and whitebark pine communities Red soil, chiprock, gypsum or chalky knolls, limestone rubble
Elevation (700-)1300-2400 m ((2300-)4300-7900 ft) 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 624. FNA vol. 7, p. 631.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Physarieae > Physaria Brassicaceae > tribe Physarieae > Physaria
Sibling taxa
P. acutifolia, P. alpina, P. angustifolia, P. arctica, P. arenosa, P. argyraea, P. arizonica, P. aurea, P. bellii, P. brassicoides, P. calcicola, P. calderi, P. carinata, P. chambersii, P. cinerea, P. condensata, P. congesta, P. cordiformis, P. curvipes, P. densiflora, P. didymocarpa, P. dornii, P. douglasii, P. eburniflora, P. engelmannii, P. eriocarpa, P. fendleri, P. filiformis, P. floribunda, P. fremontii, P. garrettii, P. geyeri, P. globosa, P. gooddingii, P. gordonii, P. gracilis, P. grahamii, P. hemiphysaria, P. hitchcockii, P. humilis, P. integrifolia, P. intermedia, P. kingii, P. klausii, P. lata, P. lepidota, P. lesicii, P. lindheimeri, P. ludoviciana, P. macrocarpa, P. mcvaughiana, P. montana, P. multiceps, P. navajoensis, P. nelsonii, P. newberryi, P. obcordata, P. obdeltata, P. occidentalis, P. oregona, P. ovalifolia, P. pachyphylla, P. pallida, P. parviflora, P. parvula, P. pendula, P. pinetorum, P. prostrata, P. pruinosa, P. pulvinata, P. purpurea, P. pycnantha, P. rectipes, P. recurvata, P. reediana, P. rollinsii, P. saximontana, P. scrotiformis, P. sessilis, P. spatulata, P. subumbellata, P. tenella, P. thamnophila, P. tumulosa, P. valida, P. vicina, P. vitulifera
P. acutifolia, P. alpestris, P. alpina, P. angustifolia, P. arctica, P. arenosa, P. argyraea, P. arizonica, P. aurea, P. bellii, P. brassicoides, P. calcicola, P. calderi, P. carinata, P. chambersii, P. condensata, P. congesta, P. cordiformis, P. curvipes, P. densiflora, P. didymocarpa, P. dornii, P. douglasii, P. eburniflora, P. engelmannii, P. eriocarpa, P. fendleri, P. filiformis, P. floribunda, P. fremontii, P. garrettii, P. geyeri, P. globosa, P. gooddingii, P. gordonii, P. gracilis, P. grahamii, P. hemiphysaria, P. hitchcockii, P. humilis, P. integrifolia, P. intermedia, P. kingii, P. klausii, P. lata, P. lepidota, P. lesicii, P. lindheimeri, P. ludoviciana, P. macrocarpa, P. mcvaughiana, P. montana, P. multiceps, P. navajoensis, P. nelsonii, P. newberryi, P. obcordata, P. obdeltata, P. occidentalis, P. oregona, P. ovalifolia, P. pachyphylla, P. pallida, P. parviflora, P. parvula, P. pendula, P. pinetorum, P. prostrata, P. pruinosa, P. pulvinata, P. purpurea, P. pycnantha, P. rectipes, P. recurvata, P. reediana, P. rollinsii, P. saximontana, P. scrotiformis, P. sessilis, P. spatulata, P. subumbellata, P. tenella, P. thamnophila, P. tumulosa, P. valida, P. vicina, P. vitulifera
Synonyms Lesquerella alpestris Lesquerella cinerea
Name authority Suksdorf: W. Amer. Sci. 15: 58. (1906) (S. Watson) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 322. (2002)
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