Physaria arizonica
Physaria acutifolia
Arizona bladderpod
double bladderpod, pointleaf twinpod, Rydberg's twinpod, sharpleaf twinpod
simple or few to several from base, erect, (unbranched, slender), 0.2–1(–1.5) dm.
several from base, usually somewhat decumbent, (unbranched), (0.4–)0.5–2 dm.
(densely tufted, not rosulate, reflexed in age);
blade obovate to oblanceolate, 0.7–2(–3) cm, margins usually entire, sometimes repand or shallowly dentate, (apex acute).
(petiole slender, often narrowly winged);
blade obovate to orbicular or rhombic-orbicular, 2–9 cm, (base abruptly narrowed to petiole), margins usually entire, rarely with few scattered teeth, (apex rounded or obtuse, sometimes with apical mucro).
similar to basal, becoming narrower distally, somewhat reflexed, (distal) blade linear or narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5–2.5(–5.5) cm.
blade spatulate to oblanceolate, 1–3 cm, margins entire, (apex usually obtuse).
dense, often subcorymbiform.
loose, (elongated in fruit).
sepals (green or greenish yellow), ovate or broadly ovate, 3.5–6.5 mm, (lateral pair subsaccate, cucullate, median pair thickened, slightly cucullate apically);
petals (spreading), oblanceolate to obovate, 5.5–8(–10) mm, (claw erect).
sepals linear-oblong, 4–7.5 mm;
petals spatulate, 6–11 mm.
(erect or divaricate-spreading, straight or slightly curved), (3–)5–10(–15) mm.
(divaricate, slightly sigmoid or nearly straight), 6–12 mm.
(sessile or substipitate), suborbicular to ovoid or ellipsoid, slightly inflated, 4–7 mm;
valves pubescent outside, trichomes substipitate, spreading, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside, trichomes sessile, smooth;
ovules 4–10(–16) per ovary;
style (0.5–)1–2(–4) mm (shorter than fruit).
(erect), didymous, suborbicular, inflated, (4–)6–15 × (4–)8–20 mm, (papery, basal and apical sinuses similar, basal rarely shallower, apical deep, narrow and closed or nearly so);
valves retaining seeds after dehiscence, pubescent, trichomes appressed;
replum oblong, constricted, 2–3.5 mm, narrower than fruit, apex obtuse;
ovules (2 or) 4 per ovary;
style 4–6(–9) mm.
flattened.
(dark brown), flattened, (2–3 mm).
= 10.
= 10, 16, 24.
Physaria arizonica
Physaria acutifolia
The circumscription of Physaria arizonica here is quite broad and includes plants that have densely tufted basal leaves and relatively few or no cauline leaves; plants that are loosely tufted and have several cauline leaves; and plants that have a strongly branched caudex, leafy stems, and sterile shoots (var. andrusensis). Additional study is needed to understand the pattern of variation in this complex species; all of the characters given above vary considerably.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Physaria acutifolia tends to be somewhat dwarfed, with a branched caudex and especially long styles (var. stylosa), where it grows at high elevations, especially at the western end of the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Intermediates form an uninterrupted cline and no infraspecific taxa are here recognized. In R. C. Rollins (1939), the discussion of P. acutifolia actually pertains to P. rollinsii. The discussion of P. australis pertains to what is now known as P. acutifolia. The plants are usually found in open soil patches, rarely into the subalpine or alpine tundra.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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