Erysimum perenne |
Erysimum ammophilum |
|
---|---|---|
sand dune wallflower, Sierra wallflower |
coast wallflower, sand-loving wallflower |
|
Habit | Perennials or, rarely, biennials; (caudex slender). | Biennials or perennials; (short-lived). |
Stems | erect, unbranched or branched (few to several) basally, 0.4–6.5 dm. |
erect, unbranched or branched distally, 0.4–9(–13) dm. |
Basal leaves | 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). |
blade (somewhat fleshy), linear-oblanceolate, 3.5–15.5 cm × 2–9 mm, base attenuate, margins entire or obscurely dentate, apex acute. |
Cauline leaves | (distal) sessile; blade margins often entire. |
blade (oblanceolate), margins entire. |
Racemes | considerably elongated in fruit. |
considerably elongated in fruit. |
Flowers | 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. |
sepals oblong to linear-oblong, 7.5–11(–13) mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally; petals bright yellow, broadly obovate to suborbicular, 14–24 × 6–11(–14) mm, claw 8–14 mm, apex rounded; median filaments 8.5–12 mm; anthers linear, 3–4 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | divaricate-ascending, slender, narrower than fruit, 4–12 mm. |
divaricate to divaricate-ascending, stout, slightly narrower than fruit, 4–10(–13) mm. |
Fruits | 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. |
spreading, narrowly linear, straight, not torulose, (2–)3.5–12 cm × 1.5–3.5 mm, latiseptate, not striped; valves with prominent midvein, pubescent outside, trichomes 2–4-rayed, glabrous inside; ovules 50–86 per ovary; style cylindrical, stout, 0.3–1.5(–2) mm, sparsely pubescent; stigma slightly 2-lobed, lobes as long as wide. |
Seeds | ovoid, 2–3.4 × 1–2 mm; not winged or, rarely, winged distally. |
oblong, 1.5–3 × 1–1.8 mm; winged distally (narrowly so around). |
Trichomes | of leaves 2–5-rayed. |
of leaves 2–4(–7)-rayed. |
2n | = 36. |
= 36. |
Erysimum perenne |
Erysimum ammophilum |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Sep. | Flowering Mar–Apr. |
Habitat | Alpine fellfields, decomposing marble, gravelly ground and knolls, rocky slopes, talus, granitic sand | Sand dunes |
Elevation | 2000-4000 m (6600-13100 ft) | 0-50 m (0-200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR
|
CA |
Discussion | 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.) |
Of conservation concern. Erysimum ammophilum is restricted to coastal and nearby sand dunes of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 543. | FNA vol. 7, p. 536. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Erysimeae > Erysimum | Brassicaceae > tribe Erysimeae > Erysimum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. asperum var. perenne, Cheiranthus perennis, Cheirinia nevadensis, E. capitatum var. perenne, E. nevadense | Cheiranthus ammophilus, Cheirinia ammophila |
Name authority | (S. Watson ex Coville) Abrams: in L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris, Ill. Fl. Pacific States 2: 318. (1944) | A. Heller: Muhlenbergia 1: 51. (1904) |
Web links |