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King bladderpod, King's bladder-pod

western bladder-pod

Habit Perennials; caudex usually simple, sometimes branched, (not thickened); usually densely pubescent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), 3–7-rayed, rays distinct or slightly fused at base, typically furcate near base, bifurcate or 3-partite, (not to slightly umbonate, smooth or moderately to strongly tuberculate). Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (thickened, sometimes subterranean); densely pubescent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), 5–7-rayed, raysdistinct, bifurcate, (moderately to prominently tuberculate).
Stems

few to several from base, prostrate to decumbent or erect, 0.5–2(–4) dm.

few to several from base, prostrate to decumbent or erect, (usually unbranched), 0.3–1.5(–3) dm.

Basal leaves

blade suborbicular to narrowly or broadly oblanceolate to broadly elliptic or rhombic, (1.2–)2–6(–8) cm, (base usually abruptly narrowed to petiole), margins entire, sinuate, or lobed.

(petiole slender);

blade suborbicular to obovate or elliptic, 1–8 cm, (base narrowing gradually or abruptly to petiole), margins sinuate-dentate or entire.

Cauline leaves

(proximal petiolate, distal sessile);

blade obovate or elliptic to spatulate, 0.5–2 cm, margins entire.

(proximal shortly petiolate, distal sessile);

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) cm, margins entire or remotely dentate.

Racemes

(usually not secund), dense, (sometimes elongated in fruit).

dense or loose.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, 4–6(–7) mm;

petals (yellow, cream-yellow, cream-white, or white), obovate to oblanceolate, 6–13 mm, (claw weakly differentiated from blade).

sepals elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 4.5–7 mm, (median pair cucullate);

petals spatulate, 7–9(–14) mm, (claw undifferentiated from blade).

Fruiting pedicels

(erect to divaricate-ascending or recurved, erect in distal 1/3, usually sigmoid, sometimes straight or slightly curved), 4.5–10(–15) mm.

(sigmoid or curved), 5–10(–15) mm.

Fruits

(sessile or substipitate), subglobose, obovoid, or ellipsoid, compressed (sometimes slightly angustiseptate), 3–9 mm, (rigid, apex truncate, retuse, or rounded-acute);

valves sparsely or densely pubescent, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside; (septum sometimes fenestrate, perforate, or obsolete);

ovules 4–16 per ovary;

style 1–9 mm.

(erect), ellipsoid to obovoid, compressed at apex and sometimes margins (strongly latiseptate), (5–)6–9 mm, (apex acute, often beaked);

valves densely pubescent, trichomes appressed or spreading, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside, trichomes 4- or 5-rayed;

ovules 4–12 per ovary;

style (2–)3–6.5 mm, (often sparsely pubescent).

Seeds

flattened (sometimes slightly).

inner surface flattened, outer convex.

Physaria kingii

Physaria occidentalis

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 7 (7 in the flora).

The Physaria kingii complex is in need of further study. It is widespread in the western United States, mostly in montane environments. This treatment recognizes a highly variable species with generally well-marked, geographically coherent subspecies. Hybridization may be involved in some of the subspecies, especially in subsp. kaibabensis, where molecular data indicate intra-individual genetic variation (pers. obs.).

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Fruits slightly wider than long, apices truncate or retuse, valves pubescent inside
→ 2
1. Fruits as wide as or longer than wide, apices rounded-acute, valves glabrous inside
→ 3
2. Basal leaf blades: margins ± entire (sometimes slightly lobed or widened at base); California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon.
subsp. kingii
2. Basal leaf blades: margins sinuate or lobed, or, sometimes, lyrate; Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains, Oregon.
subsp. diversifolia
3. Fruiting pedicels recurved.
subsp. cobrensis
3. Fruiting pedicels not recurved (divaricate-ascending or ± erect, straight or sigmoid)
→ 4
4. Petals cream-white or white; styles 1-2 mm; Kaibab Plateau, n Arizona.
subsp. kaibabensis
4. Petals yellow (occasionally cream-yellow or cream-white on Kaibab Plateau, Arizona); styles (4-)4.5-9 mm; n Arizona (including Kaibab Plateau), California, Nevada, Utah
→ 5
5. Plants erect; styles 6-9 mm; ovules 4-8 per ovary; se California.
subsp. bernardina
5. Plants ascending, erect, decumbent, or prostrate; styles (4-)4.5-7 mm; ovules (6-)8-16 per ovary; n Arizona, e California, s Nevada, Utah
→ 6
6. Plants prostrate, decumbent, or erect; racemes not or somewhat secund in fruit; ovules usually 8-16 per ovary; n Arizona, e California, s Nevada, Utah.
subsp. latifolia
6. Plants ascending; racemes secund in fruit; ovules (6-)8-12 per ovary; n Utah.
subsp. utahensis
1. Stems erect or decumbent; fruit margins and apices compressed, apices often beaked; valves pubescent inside; ovules 4-8 per ovary; styles frequently curved; n California, c Idaho, nw Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
subsp. occidentalis
1. Stems prostrate to decumbent; fruit, margins not conspicuously compressed, apices somewhat compressed, usually not conspicuously beaked; valves usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside; ovules 8-12 per ovary; styles usually straight; Nevada, w Utah.
subsp. cinerascens
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 645. FNA vol. 7, p. 654.
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. kingii subsp. bernardina, P. kingii subsp. cobrensis, P. kingii subsp. diversifolia, P. kingii subsp. kaibabensis, P. kingii subsp. kingii, P. kingii subsp. latifolia, P. kingii subsp. utahensis
P. occidentalis subsp. cinerascens, P. occidentalis subsp. occidentalis
Synonyms Vesicaria kingii, Lesquerella kingii Vesicaria occidentalis, Lesquerella occidentalis
Name authority (S. Watson) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 324. (2002) (S. Watson) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 326. (2002)
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