1. Fruits papery (coriaceous in P. bellii, P. rollinsii), inflated (often double, didymous); valves retaining seeds after dehiscence, basal sinus usually present, sometimes absent; replum narrower than fruit (traditional Physaria in the strict sense) | → 2 |
1. Fruits firm, not or slightly inflated (not didymous); valves not retaining seeds after dehiscence, basal sinus absent; replum usually as wide as or wider than fruit (traditional Lesquerella in the strict sense) | → 23 |
2. Fruits somewhat inflated, not didymous, angustiseptate. | P. geyeri |
2. Fruits inflated, strongly didymous at least apically, not angustiseptate (except P. alpestris) | → 3 |
| P. eburniflora |
3. Petals yellow (sometimes drying purplish) or yellow and purple-tinged | → 4 |
4. Trichomes stellate-scalelike [rays fused (webbed)] | → 5 |
| → 6 |
5. Fruits strongly didymous, highly inflated, basal sinus shallow; sc Utah. | P. lepidota |
5. Fruits slightly didymous, slightly inflated, basal sinus absent; Piceance Basin, Colorado. | P. obcordata |
6. Fruiting pedicels recurved; fruits nearly pendent; basal leaf blades: margins dentate or pinnatifid (rarely subentire). | P. floribunda |
6. Fruiting pedicels not recurved; fruits erect, spreading, ascending, not pendent; basal leaf blades: margins entire, few-toothed, dentate, repand, or lyrate-lobed | → 7 |
7. Fruit valves keeled (2-keeled on side away from replum) | → 8 |
7. Fruit valves rounded or irregular, not keeled | → 9 |
8. Valves with sides flat or slightly convex, keels rounded, apical sinus V-shaped or convex; styles (4-)6-8 mm. | P. chambersii |
8. Valves with sides concave, keels sharp-angled, apical sinus concave; styles 2-9 mm. | P. newberryi |
9. Styles less than 3 mm; fruits: basal sinus absent. | P. oregona |
9. Styles greater than 3 mm; fruits: basal sinus present or absent | → 10 |
10. Fruits strongly angustiseptate (at least toward replum); replums: apex acute to acuminate. | P. alpestris |
10. Fruits not angustiseptate; replums: apex usually obtuse | → 11 |
11. Petals 10-12(-15) mm; fruits irregularly angled and roughened, not strongly inflated; plants of alpine Colorado. | P. alpina |
11. Petals 6-14 mm; fruits irregular in shape, or suborbicular, subglobose, cordate, or angular, usually inflated; plants usually not alpine (if so, fruits rounded, strongly inflated) | → 12 |
12. Fruits: basal sinus obscure or absent, apical sinus deeper | → 13 |
12. Fruits: basal and apical sinuses well-developed, usually ± equal | → 16 |
13. Fruit valves: trichomes with spreading rays (ovaries and immature fruits fuzzy) | → 14 |
13. Fruit valves: trichomes with appressed or spreading rays (ovaries and immature fruits silvery, not fuzzy) | → 15 |
14. Blades of younger basal leaves tapered to petioles; apical sinus of fruits usually broad (often giving fruits a flared appearance). | P. brassicoides |
14. Blades of all basal leaves abruptly narrowed to petioles; apical sinus of fruits narrow. | P. saximontana |
15. Plants compact; stems decumbent; fruiting pedicels straight. | P. rollinsii |
15. Plants not usually compact; stems decumbent to ascending; fruiting pedicels sigmoid. | P. vitulifera |
16. Ovules mostly 4 per ovary | → 17 |
16. Ovules (4-)8(-12) per ovary | → 20 |
17. Fruit valves: trichomes with ascending rays (appearing fuzzy) | → 18 |
17. Fruit valves: trichomes with appressed rays (not appearing fuzzy) | → 19 |
18. Replum obovate to broadly oblong; Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming. | P. didymocarpa |
18. Replum oblong to oblanceolate; c, ec Utah. | P. grahamii |
19. Basal leaf blades: base abruptly narrowed to petioles, margins usually entire, rarely with scattered teeth, apex rounded or obtuse (sometimes with apical mucro). | P. acutifolia |
19. Basal leaf blades: base gradually tapering to petioles, margins shallowly dentate, apex obtuse. | P. bellii |
20. Plants compact (from condensed rosette); racemes barely exceeding leaves | → 21 |
20. Plants loose (cespitose); racemes greatly exceeding leaves | → 22 |
21. Basal leaves mostly horizontal, blades 0.5-1.5 cm × 40-80 mm; replums 3-4 mm. | P. condensata |
21. Basal leaves ascending or erect, blades (1.5-)5-7 cm × 12-20 mm; replums 1-1.8 mm. | P. dornii |
22. Leaf blade margins usually dentate or repand, bases ± abruptly narrowing to petioles. | P. didymocarpa |
22. Leaf blade margins entire, bases mostly abruptly tapering to petioles. | P. integrifolia |
23. Fruit valves glabrous outside | → 24 |
23. Fruit valves pubescent outside | → 50 |
24. Annuals or biennials (usually with a fine taproot) | → 25 |
24. Perennials or, rarely, biennials (with caudex, except P. gordonii) | → 33 |
| P. pallida |
25. Petals yellow (sometimes drying purplish), yellow and purple-tinged, or orange | → 26 |
26. Basal and cauline leaves similar in shape | → 27 |
26. Basal and cauline leaves different in shape | → 29 |
27. Fruits sessile or shortly stipitate. | P. angustifolia |
27. Fruits stipitate (gynophores 0.5-2 mm) | → 28 |
28. Gynophores 0.5-1 mm; fruiting pedicels sigmoid. | P. gordonii |
28. Gynophores 1-2 mm; fruiting pedicels straight or slightly curved. | P. gracilis |
29. Fruiting pedicels recurved. | P. recurvata |
29. Fruiting pedicels usually erect, straight, ascending, or sigmoid | → 30 |
| P. filiformis |
30. Ovules 8-20 per ovary | → 31 |
31. Fruit valves papillose outside, densely pubescent inside. | P. sessilis |
31. Fruit valves smooth outside, glabrous inside | → 32 |
32. Pedicels straight or slightly curved; trichomes with a U-shaped notch on one side. | P. densiflora |
32. Pedicels sigmoid, horizontal, or recurved; trichomes without a U-shaped notch. | P. lindheimeri |
33. Arctic and subarctic (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Greenland, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Yukon) | → 34 |
33. Dry temperate or subtropical areas (not Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Greenland, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Yukon) | → 35 |
34. Petals spatulate, blade gradually narrowed to claw, 5-6(-7) mm; fruits mostly uncompressed. | P. arctica |
34. Petals obovate, blade abruptly narrowed to claw, (6-)7-10 mm; fruits usually compressed (angustiseptate). | P. calderi |
35. Plants pulvinate-cespitose, or forming mounds, mats, or tufts | → 36 |
35. Plants not cespitose, not forming mounds, mats, or tufts | → 38 |
36. Petioles and leaf blades differentiated (or slightly so); plants forming soft mats or tufts. | P. hitchcockii |
36. Petioles and leaf blades undifferentiated; plants forming hard mats | → 37 |
37. Seeds strongly mucilaginous when wetted; petals deep yellow and slightly orange in center, blade and claw joined at right angle; sepals elliptic; San Juan and McKinley counties, New Mexico, Apache County, Arizona. | P. navajoensis |
37. Seeds not mucilaginous when wetted; petals yellow, blade and claw joined in an arch; sepals elliptic or oblong; Kane County, Utah. | P. tumulosa |
38. Trichome rays fused (webbed) 1/2 or most of their length | → 39 |
38. Trichome rays not fused or only basally | → 40 |
39. Basal and cauline leaf blade shapes similar. | P. fendleri |
39. Basal and cauline leaf blade shapes different. | P. mcvaughiana |
40. Petals white, sometimes purple-veined (fading purplish) | → 41 |
40. Petals yellow or yellow and orange (sometimes fading purplish) | → 42 |
41. Basal leaf blades suborbicular to elliptic, or ovate or deltate, 0.5-2(-6.5) cm; petals 8-15 mm. | P. ovalifolia |
41. Basal leaf blades elliptic or obovate to oblong, 4-15 cm; petals 4.5-10(-12) mm. | P. purpurea |
42. Fruits obcordate or obdeltate, compressed (angustiseptate). | P. hemiphysaria |
42. Fruits globose, subglobose, ellipsoid, ovoid, or obovoid, slightly compressed or terete | → 43 |
43. Trichomes asymmetrical with a deep notch (on one side). | P. engelmannii |
43. Trichomes symmetrical without a notch | → 44 |
44. Fruiting pedicels recurved; fruits ± pendent | → 45 |
44. Fruiting pedicels not recurved (sigmoid, straight, or curved); fruits not pendent | → 46 |
45. Biennials or short-lived perennials, without a woody caudex. | P. aurea |
45. Perennials, with a woody caudex. | P. thamnophila |
46. Ovules 16-32 per ovary; cauline leaves densely overlapping, erect and often appressed. | P. argyraea |
46. Ovules 4-24(-26) per ovary; cauline leaves not overlapping, not erect and not appressed | → 47 |
47. Basal leaf blades and petioles differentiated, blades suborbicular, elliptic, ovate, deltate, or obovate to rhombic | → 48 |
47. Basal leaf blades and petioles not differentiated (tapering), blades obovate, oblong, rhombic to elliptic, or spatulate to oblanceolate | → 49 |
48. Cauline leaf blades elliptic or obovate; racemes not elongated (subumbellate to densely corymbiform). | P. ovalifolia |
48. Cauline leaf blades obovate to rhombic; racemes elongated. | P. pruinosa |
49. Stems prostrate; cauline leaves densely overlapping. | P. gordonii |
49. Stems ascending to erect; cauline leaves (relatively few), not or loosely over- lapping. | P. pinetorum |
50. Petals white or cream-white | → 51 |
50. Petals yellow or orange (sometimes drying purplish) | → 52 |
51. Basal leaf blades not abruptly narrowed to petioles; Kaibab Plateau, n Arizona. | P. kingii |
51. Basal leaf blades abruptly narrowed to petioles; Montrose and Ouray counties, Colorado. | P. vicina |
52. Basal and cauline leaf blades similar in shape (usually narrow), blades less than 5 mm wide, not differentiated from (tapering to) petioles | → 53 |
52. Basal and cauline leaves dissimilar in shape, blades sometimes greater than 5(-6.5) mm wide, differentiated from petioles | → 66 |
53. Plants forming dense, hard mats, caudices highly branched (sw Colorado). | P. pulvinata |
53. Plants not forming dense, hard mats, caudices usually simple or few-branched | → 54 |
54. Fruiting pedicels usually recurved, sometimes divaricate-spreading or nearly horizontal | → 55 |
54. Fruiting pedicels ascending, sigmoid, erect, spreading, recurved | → 56 |
55. Annuals or perennials (short-lived); basal leaf blades flat, margins entire or dentate; racemes secund. | P. arenosa |
55. Perennials; basal leaf blades involute, margins usually entire (rarely shallowly dentate); racemes not secund. | P. ludoviciana |
56. Fruit valves: trichomes with erect or spreading rays (± fuzzy in appearance) | → 57 |
56. Fruit valves: trichomes with appressed rays | → 60 |
57. Basal leaf blades obovate to orbicular, margins folded; petioles differentiated from blades; caudices thickened (± 1 cm diam.); Sheep Mountain, Pioneer Range, Montana. | P. eriocarpa |
57. Basal leaf blades linear to oblanceolate, margins not folded; petioles not differentiated from blades; caudices not thickened; Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming | → 58 |
58. Styles 2.5-4 mm (as long as or longer than mature fruits); fruits 2.5-3(-4) mm. | P. nelsonii |
58. Styles (0.5-)1-3(-4) mm (shorter than mature fruits); fruits 3.5-7 mm | → 59 |
59. Stems simple or few to several from branched caudices (each with a sub-basal tuft of leaves); n Arizona, s Utah. | P. arizonica |
59. Stems few to several from few-branched or unbranched caudices (each laterally from a basal tuft of rosette leaves); Idaho, se Montana. | P. pycnantha |
60. Basal blades usually involute, sometimes flattened, linear to linear-oblanceolate, or narrowly spatulate | → 61 |
60. Basal blades flattened, not involute, linear, linear-oblanceolate, spatulate to nearly rhombic, oblanceolate, or elliptic | → 62 |
61. Sepals 4.5-7.5(-9) mm; styles (2-)3-4.5(-5.5) mm; pedicels straight or curved-ascending; n Arizona, n New Mexico, c, s Utah. | P. intermedia |
61. Sepals 3.5-7 mm; styles 2-4 mm; pedicels sigmoid to curved- ascending; nw Colorado, ne Utah, sw Wyoming. | P. parvula |
62. Racemes not or barely exceeding basal leaves; fruits compressed (latiseptate) on margins and at apices | → 63 |
62. Racemes exceeding basal leaves; fruits not compressed (or barely so on distal margins and apices) or strongly compressed (latiseptate) throughout | → 64 |
63. Plants strongly condensed; stems lateral from a tight hemispherical tuft of leaves; Piceance Basin of Colorado. | P. congesta |
63. Plants not condensed (loosely cespitose); stems lateral and also from within a basal tuft of leaves; nw Colorado, sw Nebraska, se Wyoming. | P. reediana |
64. Fruits compressed throughout (strongly latiseptate, more so at apices); Montana, Wyoming (Big Horn Mountains). | P. curvipes |
64. Fruits not compressed at apices or distal margins; Arizona, s Colorado, n New Mexico, s Utah | → 65 |
65. Basal leaf blades linear; cauline leaves not secund; plants compact. | P. calcicola |
65. Basal leaf blades narrowly oblanceolate to broadly elliptic; cauline leaves usually secund; plants not compact (loose, spreading). | P. rectipes |
66. Silicles strongly latiseptate (the valves strongly compressed parallel to the septum) | → 67 |
66. Silicles not compressed or slightly to strongly angustiseptate (the valves compressed perpendicular to the septum) or very slightly latiseptate | → 68 |
67. Annuals or biennials; stems branched or unbranched; e Arizona, w New Mexico. | P. gooddingii |
67. Perennials; stems usually unbranched; California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, n Utah, Washington. | P. occidentalis |
68. Fruits usually strongly compressed (angustiseptate, if slightly so, fruits obdeltate or obcordate) | → 69 |
68. Fruits usually not compressed (or slightly so at apices, if slightly compressed, fruits not obcordate or obdeltate) | → 72 |
69. Fruits elliptic to orbicular; Idaho, Montana, Wyoming. | P. carinata |
69. Fruits cordate to obdeltate, obcordate, or obovate; California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah | → 70 |
70. Fruiting pedicels recurved; fruits obdeltate, usually pendent; septums nearly obsolete. | P. obdeltata |
70. Fruiting pedicels spreading, sigmoid, or recurved; fruits obcordate to obdeltate, not pendent; septums complete | → 71 |
71. Fruiting pedicels sigmoid; fruits strongly flattened; racemes sometimes elongated. | P. cordiformis |
71. Fruiting pedicels spreading, or, occasionally, loosely sigmoid or recurved; fruits slightly flattened; racemes not elongated (dense, congested). | P. hemiphysaria |
72. Annuals or, rarely, biennials. | P. tenella |
| → 73 |
73. Fruit valves sparsely pubescent or glabrous; plants of arctic and boreal regions of Canada and Greenland. | P. arctica |
73. Fruit valves ± densely pubescent; plants usually of the continental United States (P. spatulata occurring to sw Canada) | → 74 |
74. Fruiting pedicels recurved (P. lesicii sometimes with many pedicels arching); fruits pendent | → 75 |
74. Fruiting pedicels usually not recurved (sigmoid, horizontal, divaricate-ascending, ascending, or spreading); fruits horizontal to erect | → 80 |
75. Inner stems erect; fruits: septum complete | → 76 |
75. Inner stems usually prostrate or decumbent; fruits: septum complete, fenestrate, strongly perforate, or obsolete (except P. parviflora) | → 77 |
76. Cauline leaves 1-3.5 cm wide, not spreading (somewhat appressed to stem); fruit valves sparsely pubescent; ovules 4-6 per ovary. | P. aurea |
76. Cauline leaves less than 6(-8) mm wide, spreading; fruit valves densely pubescent; ovules 8-12 per ovary. | P. pendula |
77. Fruits: septum complete; ovules 4 per ovary; nw Colorado. | P. parviflora |
77. Fruits: septum fenestrate, perforate, or obsolete; ovules 4-12(-16) per ovary; Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming | → 78 |
78. Fruits papery, strongly inflated; basal leaf blades orbicular to broadly obovate, abruptly narrowing to petioles. | P. macrocarpa |
78. Fruits rigid, not or slightly inflated; basal leaf blades elliptic, rhombic, ovate, suborbicular, or broadly oblanceolate to broadly elliptic, or rhombic, gradually tapering to petioles | → 79 |
79. Fruits sometimes slightly obcompressed; styles 1-2 mm; racemes secund. | P. fremontii |
79. Fruits slightly compressed (angustiseptate); styles 2.4-9 mm; racemes usually not secund. | P. kingii |
80. Fruit valves: trichome rays strongly ascending, spreading (appearing fuzzy). | P. klausii |
80. Fruit valves: trichome rays appressed or somewhat spreading | → 81 |
81. Fruits globose, (1-)2-2.8 mm; styles 2-3.5(-4) mm. | P. globosa |
81. Fruits globose, subglobose, orbicular, suborbicular, ovoid, obovoid, lanceolate, ellipsoid, or obpyriform, (2.5-)3-12 mm; styles 1.5-9 mm | → 82 |
82. Basal leaf blades broadly elliptic to suborbicular, distinctly rhombic, or deltate, petioles well-differentiated from blades | → 83 |
82. Basal leaf blades ± spatulate, narrowly oblanceolate, or elliptic (if wider, blades gradually tapering to petioles), petioles usually weakly differentiated from blades | → 89 |
83. Stems prostrate or decumbent | → 84 |
83. Stems (inner) ascending to erect | → 85 |
84. Fruits wider than long, sparsely pubescent inside; Bitterroot Mountains, Montana. | P. humilis |
84. Fruits longer than wide, glabrous or sparsely pubescent inside; Idaho, Utah, sw Wyoming. | P. prostrata |
85. Racemes lax, elongated; fruits not compressed apically | → 86 |
85. Racemes dense, (subcorymbose to subumbellate, few-flowered); fruits compressed apically | → 87 |
86. Stems to 4.5 dm; basal leaf blades: margins entire, sinuate, coarsely dentate, or lyrate-pinnatifid. | P. douglasii |
86. Stems 1-1.5 dm; basal leaf blades: margins entire. | P. lesicii |
87. Basal leaf blades rhombic; sw Colorado, ne Utah, sw Wyoming. | P. subumbellata |
87. Basal leaf blades oblanceolate to orbicular (usually noticeably thickened) | → 88 |
88. Fruits with slight apical constriction; Pryor Mountains, Montana. | P. pachyphylla |
88. Fruits compressed at margins, rounded apically; Arizona. | P. cinerea |
89. Fruits often somewhat compressed, elliptic to lanceolate, apices ± acute | → 90 |
89. Fruits compressed or not, subglobose to ovoid (rarely obdeltate), apices rounded, truncate, or obtuse | → 92 |
90. Sepals 5-8.5 mm, median pair cucullate at apex; petals narrowly spatulate to obovate; ovules (8-)12-20(-24) per ovary. | P. montana |
90. Sepals 3.5-5 mm, median pair not cucullate at apex; petals lingulate to narrowly oblanceolate; ovules 4-8 per ovary | → 91 |
91. Fruiting pedicels 4-7 mm; styles shorter than fruits. | P. curvipes |
91. Fruiting pedicels 10-20 mm; styles ± equal to fruits. | P. spatulata |
92. Fruit valves: trichomes spreading rays (appearing fuzzy). | P. garrettii |
92. Fruit valves: trichomes appressed rays | → 93 |
93. Fruits inflated, slightly didymous, becoming purplish; sw Colorado. | P. scrotiformis |
93. Fruits not inflated, not didymous, remaining greenish; Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Wyoming | → 94 |
94. Caudices thickened; fruit apices somewhat compressed. | P. valida |
94. Caudices not thickened; fruit apices not compressed (or fruits slightly compressed throughout) | → 95 |
95. Basal leaves with relatively long, slender petioles; sw New Mexico. | P. lata |
95. Basal leaves with relatively short, stout petioles; Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming | → 96 |
96. Caudices simple; ovules 4-16 per ovary. | P. kingii |
96. Caudices branched (underground); ovules usually 4 per ovary. | P. multiceps |