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sand dune wallflower, Sierra wallflower

European wallflower, wormseed mustard

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

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

erect, often branched distally, (slightly ribbed), (1–)3–9(–11) 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).

(withered by fruiting; petiole 1–4 cm);

blade elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate, (1–)2–6(–8) cm × (0.3–)5–10 mm, base cuneate, margins entire or obscurely denticulate, apex acute.

Cauline leaves

(distal) sessile;

blade margins often entire.

sessile or subsessile;

blade (linear or elliptic-linear), margins entire or obscurely denticulate.

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, 4–7 mm, lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals yellow, obovate, (6–)7–9(–10) × 2–3 mm, claw 5–8 mm, apex rounded;

median filaments 4–6 mm;

anthers oblong, 1.5–2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

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

suberect or ascending, slender, narrower than fruit, (3–)4–8(–10) 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.

erect, (often appressed to rachis), linear, straight, somewhat torulose, (1–)1.5–2.5(–4) cm × 1–1.3 mm, 4-angled, not striped;

valves with prominent midvein, pubescent outside, trichomes 3- or 4-rayed, fewer 2-rayed ones, usually glabrous inside, rarely sparsely pubescent;

ovules 40–60 per ovary;

style cylindrical, slender, 0.5–2 mm;

stigma capitate, entire.

Seeds

ovoid, 2–3.4 × 1–2 mm;

not winged or, rarely, winged distally.

oblong, 1–1.5 × 0.4–0.6 mm;

not winged.

Trichomes

of leaves 2–5-rayed.

of leaves mostly 3- or 4-rayed, 2-rayed ones usually on stem and pedicel.

2n

= 36.

Erysimum perenne

Erysimum hieraciifolium

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Alpine fellfields, decomposing marble, gravelly ground and knolls, rocky slopes, talus, granitic sand Moist areas, disturbed sites, grasslands, roadsides, waste ground
Elevation 2000-4000 m (6600-13100 ft) 50-300 m (200-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MA; VT; WI; MB; NB; NS; ON; QC; SK; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 543. FNA vol. 7, p. 540.
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. franciscanum, E. hieraciifolium, E. inconspicuum, E. insulare, E. menziesii, E. occidentale, E. pallasii, 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. inconspicuum, E. insulare, E. menziesii, E. occidentale, E. pallasii, E. perenne, E. repandum, E. suffrutescens, E. teretifolium
Synonyms E. asperum var. perenne, Cheiranthus perennis, Cheirinia nevadensis, E. capitatum var. perenne, E. nevadense
Name authority (S. Watson ex Coville) Abrams: in L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris, Ill. Fl. Pacific States 2: 318. (1944) Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. I, 18. (1755)
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