Smelowskia
Smelowskia porsildii
candytuft, false candytuft, smelowskia
erect to decumbent, unbranched or branched distally, densely pubescent.
several from base, unbranched, (0.3–)0.5–1.4(–2) dm, trichomes simple, 0.3–1 mm, mixed with smaller, dendritic ones, (sometimes simple ones absent).
basal and cauline;
petiolate or sessile;
basal rosulate, petiolate, blade margins usually 1- or 2-pinnatisect, rarely entire.
petiole 0.7–3(–4) cm, often ciliate, trichomes simple;
blade usually linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, rarely obovate, (0.5–)0.8–2.2(–3.5) cm × 0.7–5(–7) mm, margins usually entire, rarely apically 3 or 5-toothed or -lobed, apex obtuse to rounded, (surfaces densely tomentose, grayish, trichomes mostly dendritic, mixed with fewer, simple ones, to 1 mm).
shortly petiolate;
blade similar to basal, smaller distally, margins usually entire, rarely lobed.
(corymbose, several-flowered), often considerably elongated in fruit.
elongated in fruit.
sepals (sometimes persistent), oblong [ovate];
petals spatulate to obovate or suborbicular, (longer than sepals), claw differentiated from blade, (apex rounded);
stamens slightly tetradynamous;
filaments often dilated basally;
anthers ovate or oblong, (apex obtuse);
nectar glands usually confluent, subtending bases of stamens, median glands present or not.
sepals 2.5–3.5 mm;
petals white or creamy white, suborbicular to obovate, 4–6 × 2–3(–4) mm, narrowed to claw, 1–2(–3) mm, apex rounded;
anthers oblong, 0.5–0.7 mm.
ascending, spreading, suberect, or divaricate [recurved], slender.
divaricate to ascending, (forming 30–70˚ angle), proximalmost bracteate, 4–12 mm, pubescent, trichomes simple mixed with smaller, dendritic ones.
siliques or silicles, usually sessile, rarely shortly stipitate, linear, oblong, obovoid, ellipsoid, spatulate, oblanceolate, suboblong, or pyriform [fusiform, ovoid, suborbicular], smooth, 4-angled, angustiseptate, terete, or subterete [latiseptate];
valves each with prominent or obscure midvein, usually glabrous;
replum rounded;
septum complete or perforated;
ovules 4–18 per ovary;
stigma capitate.
divaricate to ascending, ellipsoid to oblong, subterete or slightly 4-angled, 6–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, base and apex cuneate;
valves each with prominent midvein;
ovules 4–8 per ovary;
style 0.1–0.5 mm.
plump, not winged, usually oblong, rarely oblong-lanceolate;
seed coat (minutely reticulate), not mucilaginous when wetted;
cotyledons incumbent or accumbent.
1.5–2 × 0.9–1.2 mm.
= 12, 22, 24.
Smelowskia
Smelowskia porsildii
Species 25 (7 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
As delimited here, Smelowskia porsildii is taken in the broad sense to include plants recognized by W. H. Drury Jr. and R. C. Rollins (1952) and Rollins (1993) as S. calycina var. integrifolia. The latter was raised by Velichkin to species rank, named as S. spathulatifolia because of the earlier-published S. integrifolia Bunge. Leaf shape and pedicel orientation, used by those authors to distinguish the two taxa, vary continuously. The species is also highly variable in the relative occurrence of simple versus dendritic trichomes and leaf margins. Although I. A. Al-Shehbaz and S. I. Warwick (2006) reduced S. spathulatifolia to synonymy of S. porsildii, the latter most likely represents a complex in which S. media might be involved. Conflicting chromosome numbers (e.g., 2n = 12, 18, 22, 24, 32) have been reported for this complex (Warwick and Al-Shehbaz 2006), and detailed cytological and molecular studies are needed to resolve the taxa involved. The complex involves diploid and tetraploid populations based on x = 6; the counts of 2n = 18 and 32 most likely reflect misidentifications.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal leaves: blade margins entire, apically 3 or 5-toothed or -lobed, or palmately lobed | → 2 |
1. Basal leaves: blade margins 1- or 2-pinnatisect or pinnatifid | → 4 |
2. Basal leaves: blade margins deeply palmately (3 or) 5 (or 7)-lobed; fruiting pedicels secund; sepals usually persistent; fruits angustiseptate, (8-)12-28 × 4-8 mm; ovules 10-18 per ovary. | S. borealis |
2. Basal leaves: blade margins entire or apically 3 or 5-toothed or -lobed; fruiting pedicels not secund; sepals caducous; fruits subterete or slightly 4-angled, 5-10 × 1.5-3 mm; ovules 4-8 per ovary | → 3 |
3. Basal leaf blade surfaces densely silvery villous, trichomes mostly simple, 1-1.8 mm; petals lavender to purplish; fruiting pedicels 11-27 mm; fruit valves each with obscure midvein; ovules 4 per ovary; seeds 2.2-2.7 mm. | S. johnsonii |
3. Basal leaf blade surfaces densely grayish tomentose, trichomes mostly dendritic with fewer simple ones, to 1 mm; petals white or creamy white; fruiting pedicels 4-12 mm; fruit valves each with prominent midvein; ovules 4-8 per ovary; seeds 1.5-2 mm. | S. porsildii |
4. Sepals persistent; fruits 2-6 mm, bases obtuse, valves each with obscure midvein. | S. ovalis |
4. Sepals caducous; fruits 5-13 mm, bases cuneate, valves each with prominent midvein | → 5 |
5. Fruits pyriform, subterete, apices rounded; ovules 4 per ovary; seeds 2.5-3.2 × 1-1.5 mm. | S. pyriformis |
5. Fruits fusiform, ellipsoid, oblong, or linear, 4-angled, apices cuneate; ovules 8-12 (-14) per ovary; seeds 1.1-2.2 × 0.6-1.1 mm | → 6 |
6. Fruiting pedicels suberect to ascending, subappressed to rachises, forming less than 40˚ angle; seeds 1.1-1.9 × 0.6-0.9 mm; Alberta, British Columbia, Mountain and Pacific states. | S. americana |
6. Fruiting pedicels usually spreading to divaricate, rarely divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachises, often forming greater than 40˚ angle; seeds 1.7-2.2 × 0.9-1.1 mm; Alaska, Northwest Territories, Yukon. | S. media |
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
