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Franciscan wallflower, San Francisco wallflower

sand dune wallflower, Sierra wallflower

Habit Perennials or subshrubs. Perennials or, rarely, biennials; (caudex slender).
Stems

erect, often branched distally, (woody at base), 0.6–5(–6) dm.

erect, unbranched or branched (few to several) basally, 0.4–6.5 dm.

Basal leaves

(often withered in suffrutescent plants);

blade oblanceolate to oblanceolate-linear, 2.5–17 cm × (2–)3–16(–20) mm, base attenuate, margins sinuate-dentate or dentate, apex acute.

blade spatulate to broadly oblanceolate, 2.5–7 cm × 3–10 mm, base attenuate, margins dentate or subentire, apex often obtuse, (surfaces pubescent adaxially, trichomes 2 or 3–5-rayed).

Cauline leaves

(distal) petiolate;

blade margins usually dentate, rarely denticulate.

(distal) sessile;

blade margins often entire.

Racemes

considerably elongated in fruit.

considerably elongated in fruit.

Flowers

sepals oblong to linear-oblong, 8–12(–15) mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals yellow to cream, obovate to suborbicular, 14–29 × 5–12(–15) mm, claw 9–17 mm, apex rounded;

median filaments 9–15 mm;

anthers linear, 2.5–4 mm.

sepals linear-oblong to oblong, 8–12 mm, lateral pair saccate basally;

petals yellow, broadly obovate to suborbicular, 15–22 × 3.5–6 mm, claw 8–14 mm, apex rounded;

median filaments 7–14 mm;

anthers linear, 3–4 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate to ascending, stout, narrower than fruit, 5–17(–22) mm.

divaricate-ascending, slender, narrower than fruit, 4–12 mm.

Fruits

usually ascending, rarely spreading, narrowly linear, straight or curved upward, not or, rarely, slightly torulose, (3.8–)4–11(–14) cm × 2–4 mm, latiseptate, not striped;

valves with somewhat prominent midvein, pubescent outside, trichomes (2 or) 3 (or 4)-rayed, glabrous inside;

ovules 32–64 per ovary;

style cylindrical, slender, 0.5–3.5 mm, sparsely pubescent;

stigma 2-lobed, lobes as long as wide.

erect to ascending, narrowly linear, straight, torulose, 3.8–14 cm × 1.2–3 mm, latiseptate, not striped;

valves with prominent midvein, pubescent outside, trichomes 2 or 3 (or 4)-rayed, glabrous inside;

ovules 26–44 per ovary;

style cylindrical, slender, (1.5–)2–5.5 mm, sparsely pubescent;

stigma subentire to slightly 2-lobed, lobes as long as wide.

Seeds

oblong, 2–3.5(–4) × 1.2–2.2(–2.5) mm;

wing distal, present on 1 or both margins.

ovoid, 2–3.4 × 1–2 mm;

not winged or, rarely, winged distally.

Trichomes

of leaves 2-rayed mixed with 3(–5)-rayed ones.

of leaves 2–5-rayed.

2n

= 36.

= 36.

Erysimum franciscanum

Erysimum perenne

Phenology Flowering Jan–Apr. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Serpentine outcrops, coastal scrub or sand dunes, granitic hillsides Alpine fellfields, decomposing marble, gravelly ground and knolls, rocky slopes, talus, granitic sand
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) 2000-4000 m (6600-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Erysimum franciscanum is known from Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties. Historical records indicate that it grew previously in Sonoma County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Erysimum perenne is a high alpine species of the western sierras in California from Fresno, Inyo, and Madera counties northward into Plumas, Siskiyou, and Trinity counties. Its range in Nevada appears to be restricted to Douglas and Washoe counties.

The limits of Erysimum perenne have been controversial, and it is with some hesitation that I recognize it as a species. G. B. Rossbach (1958) accepted it as a distinct species, R. A. Price (1993) transferred it (invalidly) to a subspecies of E. capitatum, R. C. Rollins (1993) treated it as a variety of E. capitatum, and N. H. Holmgren (2005b) treated the name as a synonym of E. capitatum. It is readily distinguished from E. capitatum by having torulose (versus not torulose) and flattened (versus 4-angled or flattened) fruits, slender (versus stout or, rarely, slender) and longer styles (1.5–)2–5.5 mm (versus 0.2–2.5(–3) mm), and yellow (versus orange to, rarely, yellow) petals. Where the two species are allopatric, they remain consistently distinct, but at lower elevations, where their ranges overlap, the distinction becomes blurred. In such areas of overlap, one finds fruit variation ranging from distinctly torulose to non-torulose, as well as continuity in the other characters above.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 540. FNA vol. 7, p. 543.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Erysimeae > Erysimum Brassicaceae > tribe Erysimeae > Erysimum
Sibling taxa
E. ammophilum, E. arenicola, E. asperum, E. capitatum, E. cheiranthoides, E. cheiri, E. coarctatum, E. concinnum, E. hieraciifolium, E. inconspicuum, E. insulare, E. menziesii, E. occidentale, E. pallasii, E. perenne, E. repandum, E. suffrutescens, E. teretifolium
E. ammophilum, E. arenicola, E. asperum, E. capitatum, E. cheiranthoides, E. cheiri, E. coarctatum, E. concinnum, E. franciscanum, E. hieraciifolium, E. inconspicuum, E. insulare, E. menziesii, E. occidentale, E. pallasii, E. repandum, E. suffrutescens, E. teretifolium
Synonyms E. franciscanum var. crassifolium E. asperum var. perenne, Cheiranthus perennis, Cheirinia nevadensis, E. capitatum var. perenne, E. nevadense
Name authority Rossbach: Aliso 4: 118. (1958) (S. Watson ex Coville) Abrams: in L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris, Ill. Fl. Pacific States 2: 318. (1944)
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