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Engelmann's bladderpod

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

Habit Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (woody, aerial); densely pubescent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), several-rayed, rays simple or furcate, distinct or fused at base, (asymmetrical with deep notch on one side, often with a U-shaped gap between 2 of the rays, umbonate, strongly tuberculate). Perennials; caudex simple, (relatively large); densely (silvery) pubescent, trichomes (sessile, appressed), rays furcate, fused at base.
Stems

few to several from base, erect, (usually unbranched), (1.5–)2.5–4(–6) dm.

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

Basal leaves

blade elliptic to obovate, 2–6.5 cm, margins entire, sinuate, or remotely toothed, (surfaces occasionally sparsely pubescent).

(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).

Cauline leaves

(proximal often petiolate, distal sessile or subsessile);

blade oblanceolate to linear, 1–4 cm, margins entire.

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

Racemes

dense, (subumbellate).

dense.

Flowers

sepals ovate or elliptic, 5.5–10 mm, (median pair thickened apically, cucullate);

petals (bright yellow), obovate to elliptic, 8–14 mm, (sometimes with distinct claw, often retuse).

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).

Fruiting pedicels

(ascending), relatively short.

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

Fruits

(shortly stipitate), ± globose or ellipsoid, not or slightly inflated, 5–8 mm;

valves (not retaining seeds after dehiscence), glabrous throughout;

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules (8–)12–20 per ovary;

style 3.5–5 mm.

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.

Seeds

flattened.

compressed.

2n

= 12, 24, 36.

= 8.

Physaria engelmannii

Physaria bellii

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Mar–Jun(-Jul).
Habitat Limestone prairies, rocky ridges, pebbly shores, thin caliche soils, limestone outcrops Dark shale, road cuts, ridge crests, washes
Elevation 150-400 m (500-1300 ft) 1500-1800 m (4900-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OK; TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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. 635. 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. 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. 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. 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 Vesicaria engelmannii, Alyssum engelmannii, Lesquerella engelmannii, Vesicaria engelmannii var. elatior, Vesicaria pulchella
Name authority (A. Gray) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 322. (2002) G. A. Mulligan: Canad. J. Bot. 44: 1662, fig. 1, plate 1, fig. 3. (1966)
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