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Bell's or Front Range twinpod, Bell's twinpod, Front Range twinpod

arctic bladderpod

Habit Perennials; caudex simple, (relatively large); densely (silvery) pubescent, trichomes (sessile, appressed), rays furcate, fused at base. Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (woody, cespitose); ± densely pubescent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), several-rayed, rays distinct, furcate or bifurcate, (somewhat umbonate, finely tuberculate to ± smooth).
Stems

simple from base, decumbent to nearly prostrate, 0.5–1.3 dm.

simple or few to several from base, erect to spreading or prostrate, 0.5–2(–3) dm.

Basal leaves

(strongly rosulate; shortly petiolate);

blade broadly obovate, 1.5–7.5 (width 7.5–26 mm, base gradually tapering to petiole), margins shallowly dentate, (apex obtuse).

(usually ± rosulate);

blade obovate to oblanceolate, (1–)2–6(–15) cm, margins entire.

Cauline leaves

blade oblanceolate to broadly obovate, 1–2.5 cm, margins entire.

(sessile or shortly petiolate);

blade oblanceolate or lingulate, 0.5–1.5(–3) cm, margins entire.

Racemes

dense.

loose.

Flowers

sepals (pale yellow or yellow-green), narrowly lanceolate to narrowly deltate, 4–8 mm;

petals yellow, broadly spatulate to obovate, 9–13 mm, (not clawed).

sepals ovate to elliptic, (3–)4–5(–6) mm, (median pair often thickened apically, cucullate);

petals spatulate, 5–6(–7) mm, (blade gradually narrowed to claw).

Fruiting pedicels

(divaricate-ascending to widely spreading, slightly sigmoid to curved), 7–12 mm.

(erect to divaricate or ascending), (5–)10–20(–40) mm, (stout).

Fruits

didymous, slightly flattened (contrary to replum) to uncompressed, 4–9 × 2–8 mm, (strongly coriaceous, apical and basal sinuses narrow, deep);

valves (retaining seeds after dehiscence), pubescent, trichomes appressed;

replum narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly linear-oblong, as wide as or wider than fruit, apex obtuse;

ovules 4 per ovary;

style more than 3 mm.

subglobose to ellipsoid, uncompressed, 4–6(–9) mm;

valves (not retaining seeds after dehiscence), glabrous or sparsely pubescent outside, trichomes sessile;

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules (8–)10–14(–16) per ovary;

style 1–2.5(–4) mm.

Seeds

compressed.

plump.

2n

= 8.

= 60.

Physaria bellii

Physaria arctica

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun(-Jul). Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Dark shale, road cuts, ridge crests, washes Typically on sand and gravel from calcareous bedrock, river bars and terraces, cliff ledges, scree and talus slopes, often growing after disturbance
Elevation 1500-1800 m (4900-5900 ft) 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AB; BC; MB; NL; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; circumarctic (except n Europe, ne Russia)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Physaria bellii is often found in shale and limestone soils of the Fountain/Ingleside, Lykins, Niobrara, and Pierre formations. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 628. FNA vol. 7, p. 626.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Physarieae > Physaria Brassicaceae > tribe Physarieae > Physaria
Sibling taxa
P. acutifolia, P. alpestris, P. alpina, P. angustifolia, P. arctica, P. arenosa, P. argyraea, P. arizonica, P. aurea, 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. 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
Synonyms Alyssum arcticum, Lesquerella arctica, Lesquerella arctica subsp. purshii, Vesicaria arctica, Vesicaria leiocarpa
Name authority G. A. Mulligan: Canad. J. Bot. 44: 1662, fig. 1, plate 1, fig. 3. (1966) (Wormskjöld ex Hornemann) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 321. (2002)
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