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roundleaf bladderpod

Kodachrome 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 (buried), branched, (forming hard mats); densely pubescent, trichomes several-rayed, rays furcate or bifurcate, (tuberculate).
Stems

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

several from base, erect, (unbranched), 0.2–0.3 dm.

Basal leaves

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

(few), similar to cauline.

Cauline leaves

(proximal shortly petiolate, distal usually sessile);

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

(petiole not differentiated from blade);

blade (somewhat succulent), linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 5–12 mm, margins entire.

Racemes

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

dense, (few-flowered).

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 (yellowish), elliptic, 3–4.5 mm;

petals (erect or, more commonly, arching), spatulate to oblanceolate, 5.8–7 mm, (claw not or weakly differentiated from blade).

Fruiting pedicels

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

(ascending to divaricate-ascending, ± straight), 3.5–6 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.

(coppery or reddish brown in age), broadly ovoid, slightly inflated, 3–4 mm;

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

replum as wide as or wider than fruit;

ovules 4–8 per ovary;

style 1.8–3 mm.

Seeds

flattened.

flattened.

Physaria ovalifolia

Physaria tumulosa

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Barren white knolls surrounded by sagebrush, pinyon pine, and Utah juniper
Elevation 1600-1800 m (5200-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

Physaria tumulosa is morphologically similar to 55. P. navajoensis of northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, and differing very subtly. It has been long treated as an infraspecific taxon of P. hitchcockii; unpublished molecular data do not support that disposition. It is found on knolls of the Winsor Member of the Carmel Formation.

(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. 664.
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. 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. valida, P. vicina, P. vitulifera
Subordinate taxa
P. ovalifolia subsp. alba, P. ovalifolia subsp. ovalifolia
Synonyms Lesquerella ovalifolia, Lesquerella engelmannii subsp. ovalifolia Lesquerella hitchcockii subsp. tumulosa, Lesquerella tumulosa, P. rubicundula var. tumulosa
Name authority (Rydberg) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 326. (2002) (Barneby) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz: Novon 12: 328. (2002)
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