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roundleaf bladderpod

spreading bladderpod

Habit Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (thickened by persistent leaf bases); densely pubescent (foliage usually scabrous), trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), several-rayed, rays furcate near base, (usually strongly umbonate, roughly tuberculate, less so over umbo). Annuals or biennials; (delicate, wiry); with a fine taproot; pubescent, trichomes (sessile or subsessile), 4–7-rayed, rays distinct, usually furcate, occasionally bifurcate, (smooth to somewhat tuberculate).
Stems

few to several from base, erect or outer decumbent, 0.5–2.5 dm.

simple to several from base, erect, often outer decumbent, (unbranched or branched distally), 1–7 dm.

Basal leaves

blade suborbicular to elliptic or ovate or deltate, 0.5–2(–6.5) cm, margins entire or shallowly dentate.

blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 1.5–8(–11.5) cm, margins lyrate-pinnatifid to dentate or repand, (abaxial surface densely pubescent, adaxial sparsely pubescent).

Cauline leaves

(proximal shortly petiolate, distal usually sessile);

blade narrowly elliptic or obovate, (0.5–)1–2.5(–4) cm, margins entire.

(proximal petiolate, distal sessile);

blade oblanceolate to oblong, 1–7 cm, margins dentate to repand.

Racemes

compact, (± subumbellate to densely corymbiform, elongated or not).

loose, (elongated).

Flowers

sepals ± elliptic, 4.5–7(–8.5) mm, (median pair thickened apically);

petals (sometimes white), suborbicular to obovate or obdeltate, 6.5–15 mm, (base narrowing to broad claw, apex sometimes emarginated).

sepals elliptic or broadly ovate, 3–6.5(–8) mm, (median pair slightly thickened apically, cucullate);

petals (yellow to orange), broadly obovate, 6–11 mm, (narrowing gradually to short claw).

Fruiting pedicels

(usually spreading at right angles, sometimes nearly erect, ± straight), 5–15(–20) mm, (stout).

(usually divaricate-spreading, sometimes horizontal or shallowly recurved, straight or slightly curved), (7–)10–20(–25) mm, (slender or stout).

Fruits

(sessile or shortly stipitate, less than 1 mm), subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, inflated or slightly compressed (terete or subterete), (4–)5–8(–9) mm;

valves (not retaining seeds after dehiscence), glabrous;

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules 8–16 per ovary;

style 4–8(–9) mm.

(stipitate or subsessile, gynophore 1–2 mm), globose, subglobose, obpyriform, or obovoid, not or slightly inflated, 3–9 mm;

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

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules 8–20(–28) per ovary;

style 2–4.5 mm.

Seeds

flattened.

slightly flattened.

Physaria ovalifolia

Physaria gracilis

Distribution
from FNA
CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; TX
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from FNA
AL; IA; IL; KS; LA; MO; MS; OK; TN; TX
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

(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. Caudices branched (well-developed); petals usually yellow, rarely white, 6.5-12(-14) mm, usually 1.5 times or less as long as sepals; racemes usually not elongated (subumbellate).
subsp. ovalifolia
1. Caudices usually simple; petals white, (9-)11-15 mm, often 2 times as long as sepals; racemes usually elongated.
subsp. alba
1. Stems to 7 dm; cauline leaves: blade margins usually deeply dentate, rarely repand; fruits ± sessile, globose or subglobose, 3-6 mm, bases rounded.
subsp. gracilis
1. Stems usually less than 3 dm; cauline leaves: blade margins frequently repand, occasionally dentate; fruits stipitate (gynophore slender), obpyriform to narrowly obovoid, (5-)6-9 mm, bases truncate.
subsp. nuttallii
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 655. FNA vol. 7, p. 641.
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. ovalifolia subsp. alba, P. ovalifolia subsp. ovalifolia
P. gracilis subsp. gracilis, P. gracilis subsp. nuttallii
Synonyms Lesquerella ovalifolia, Lesquerella engelmannii subsp. ovalifolia Vesicaria gracilis, Alyssum gracile, Lesquerella gracilis
Name authority (Rydberg) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 326. (2002) (Hooker) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 323. (2002)
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