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Physaria alpestris

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

silver twinpod, west silver bladderpod

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; (diminutive); caudex simple or branched, (buried, with thatch of persistent leaf bases distally); (appearing silvery gray-green to silvery purple), densely pubescent, trichomes usually 5 or 6 (rarely 7)-rayed, rays bifurcate or incompletely so, (relatively short, stout, umbonate, moderately tuberculate to nearly smooth, lower layer smoother).
Stems

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

1–5 from base, prostrate to slightly decumbent, (arising laterally, also erect or ascending from tuft of basal leaves, unbranched, purple-green), 0.08–0.3 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).

(petiole slightly winged);

blade oblanceolate, elliptic, or rhombic, (mostly flat, sometimes somewhat folded), 0.6–2.7 cm, (base tapering to petiole), margins entire, (apex rounded to rounded-acute).

Cauline leaves

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

(3–7, shortly petiolate or sessile);

blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 0.3–0.5 cm, margins entire.

Racemes

subcorymbose.

crowded, (ca. 3–7 fruits).

Flowers

sepals oblong, 8–10 mm;

petals spatulate, 12–14 mm.

sepals (greenish yellow), linear-triangular, 3.7–5 mm, (lateral pair subsaccate);

petals oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 4.5–9 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

(divaricate, straight), 5–10 mm.

(ascending, straight), 1.8–3.4 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.

(shortly stipitate, purple or greenish purple in age), slightly didymous, ovoid to obpyriform, 3–5 mm (wider than long, base rounded-obtuse, apex rounded, flattened, or slightly emarginate);

valves (inflated, slightly wider than replum), pubescent, trichomes scattered;

replum obovate to orbicular-obdeltate, apex rounded, obtuse, or truncate;

septum complete or medially small-perforate;

ovules 4–6(–8) per ovary;

style 2–3.6 mm.

Seeds

flattened, (2–3 mm).

relatively plump, (ovate to suborbicular, usually rounded on one side, ± flat or concave on the other, not mucilaginous when wetted).

2n

= 48–52, 52, 64, 67–70.

Physaria alpestris

Physaria scrotiformis

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Jun-early Jul.
Habitat Alpine scree, rocky ridges, talus slopes, volcanic sands and gravel, serpentine gravel, granitic slopes, mountain shrub, subalpine fir, and whitebark pine communities Tundra areas with islands of Engelmann spruce on Leadville limestone, amidst limestone cobbles and gravel
Elevation (700-)1300-2400 m ((2300-)4300-7900 ft) 3500-3700 m (11500-12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Physaria scrotiformis is known only from La Plata County.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 624. FNA vol. 7, p. 662.
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. saximontana, P. sessilis, P. spatulata, P. subumbellata, P. tenella, P. thamnophila, P. tumulosa, P. valida, P. vicina, P. vitulifera
Synonyms Lesquerella alpestris
Name authority Suksdorf: W. Amer. Sci. 15: 58. (1906) O’Kane: Novon 17: 376, fig. 1. (2007)
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