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Physaria alpestris

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

Fremont County twinpod, Rocky Mountain or Fremont County twinpod

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 usually simple; (silvery) pubescent throughout, trichome rays furcate.
Stems

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

several from base, prostrate to decumbent, 0.3–1 dm.

Basal leaves

(petiole slender);

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

(rosulate; petiole winged);

blade orbicular to broadly obovate, 1.5–3 cm, margins entire or with broad, obscure toothlike angles each side at apex, (apex obtuse, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes appressed).

Cauline leaves

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

blade broadly spatulate to linear-oblanceolate, 1–1.5 cm, margins entire.

Racemes

subcorymbose.

condensed, (subumbellate to slightly more elongated, few-flowered).

Flowers

sepals oblong, 8–10 mm;

petals spatulate, 12–14 mm.

sepals (yellowish, often with some purple), narrowly lanceolate, 5–6 mm;

petals spatulate, 7.3–9.2 mm, (not clawed).

Fruiting pedicels

(divaricate, straight), 5–10 mm.

(divaricate-ascending, straight to slightly curved), 6–10 mm.

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.

didymous, irregular, suborbicular, deeply bilobed, inflated in age, 10–12 × 12–15 mm, (papery, basal sinus absent or obsolete, apical sinus deep);

valves (retaining seeds after dehiscence), densely pubescent, trichomes spreading, (ovaries and immature fruit downy);

replum narrowly ovate to broadly oblong, not narrowed at middle, as wide as or wider than fruit, apex acute to obtuse;

ovules 4 per ovary;

style 3–7 mm.

Seeds

flattened, (2–3 mm).

flattened.

2n

= 48–52, 52, 64, 67–70.

Physaria alpestris

Physaria saximontana

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Alpine scree, rocky ridges, talus slopes, volcanic sands and gravel, serpentine gravel, granitic slopes, mountain shrub, subalpine fir, and whitebark pine communities
Elevation (700-)1300-2400 m ((2300-)4300-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Physaria saximontana (especially subsp. dentata) is morphologically similar to 22. P. didymocarpa.

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

Key
1. Basal leaf blades: margins entire, apices rounded to angled; styles 3-5 mm.
subsp. saximontana
1. Basal leaf blades: margins dentate (teeth broad), apices angled; styles 4-7 mm.
subsp. dentata
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 624. FNA vol. 7, p. 661.
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. 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. scrotiformis, P. sessilis, P. spatulata, P. subumbellata, P. tenella, P. thamnophila, P. tumulosa, P. valida, P. vicina, P. vitulifera
Subordinate taxa
P. saximontana subsp. dentata, P. saximontana subsp. saximontana
Synonyms Lesquerella alpestris
Name authority Suksdorf: W. Amer. Sci. 15: 58. (1906) Rollins: Contr. Gray Herb. 214: 13. (1984)
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