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roundleaf bladderpod

low 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). Perennials; caudex branched; densely pubescent, trichomes (usually sessile, rarely short-stalked), several-rayed, rays furcate or bifurcate, (umbonate, tuberculate throughout).
Stems

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

several from base, usually prostrate, rarely decumbent, (unbranched, often purplish, sparsely pubescent), to 1.5 dm.

Basal leaves

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

blade deltate, hastate, or, less often, rhombic to elliptic, 1–5 cm, margins entire (often partially involute).

Cauline leaves

(proximal shortly petiolate, distal usually sessile);

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

(proximal shortly petiolate);

blade linear to oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm, margins entire.

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 (often purplish), oblong, lanceolate, or ovate, 4–6 mm, (median pair thickened apically);

petals spatulate or cuneate, 5–8(–9) mm, (margins undulate).

Fruiting pedicels

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

(ascending, slightly sigmoid to straight), 5–10 mm.

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.

ovoid or ellipsoid, slightly compressed, 3–5(–6) mm, (base often gibbous);

valves pubescent, trichomes loose, furcate near their bases and spreading, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside;

ovules 4(–8) per ovary;

style 1.5–4 mm.

Seeds

flattened.

flattened.

Physaria ovalifolia

Physaria prostrata

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Whitish sand and small rocks on steep slopes, dry hillsides, windswept knolls, shaley slopes
Elevation 1800-2500 m (5900-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

Physaria prostrata is sometimes found on igneous substrates, which is unusual for the genus.

(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
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 655. FNA vol. 7, p. 658.
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. 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. 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
Synonyms Lesquerella ovalifolia, Lesquerella engelmannii subsp. ovalifolia Lesquerella prostrata
Name authority (Rydberg) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 326. (2002) (A. Nelson) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 327. (2002)
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