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

golden bladderpod

Habit Perennials; caudex simple, (relatively large); densely (silvery) pubescent, trichomes (sessile, appressed), rays furcate, fused at base. Biennials or perennials; (short-lived); caudex branched; densely pubescent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked, simple or not), 5–9-rayed, rays furcate, (fine, smooth or finely tuberculate).
Stems

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

several from base, erect or outer ones decumbent or procumbent, (sometimes much-branched distally), to 6 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).

blade obovate or rhombic, to ca. 2.5 cm, margins usually shallowly dentate, sometimes lyrate-pinnatifid.

Cauline leaves

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

(proximal shortly petiolate, distal sessile);

blade obovate to rhombic or oblanceolate, 2–4(–6) cm, margins entire or shallowly and remotely dentate.

Racemes

dense.

usually dense, (several-flowered).

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 or oblong (tapering at base), 3.6–4.8(–5.3) mm, (lateral pair subsaccate, median pair thickened apically, cucullate);

petals obovate to spatulate, 4.5–7.5 mm, (blade narrowed to broad claw, margins sinuate).

Fruiting pedicels

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

(strongly recurved), to 20 mm.

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.

(± pendent), ovoid, obcompressed, or globose, compressed, 4–6(–8) mm;

valves (not retaining seeds after dehiscence), sparsely pubescent or glabrous, sparsely pubescent inside;

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules usually 4, rarely 6, per ovary;

style 2.5–3.6 mm.

Seeds

compressed.

flattened.

2n

= 8.

= 14.

Physaria bellii

Physaria aurea

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun(-Jul). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Dark shale, road cuts, ridge crests, washes Open sites and bare areas in rocky limestone soil in mountains, roadbanks, open woods
Elevation 1500-1800 m (4900-5900 ft) 2000-2800 m (6600-9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Physaria aurea (known from the Jicarilla and Sacramento mountains) is similar to 35. P. gooddingii, which is found farther west in the mountains of Catron and Sierra counties, New Mexico, and Greenlee County, Arizona.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 628. FNA vol. 7, p. 628.
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. arctica, P. arenosa, P. argyraea, P. arizonica, 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 Lesquerella aurea
Name authority G. A. Mulligan: Canad. J. Bot. 44: 1662, fig. 1, plate 1, fig. 3. (1966) (Wooton) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 322. (2002)
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