Thysanocarpus laciniatus
Thysanocarpus conchuliferus
mountain fringepod, narrow leaf lacepod
Santa Cruz Island fringepod, Santa Cruz Island lacepod
1–6 dm.
0.5–1.5 dm.
blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 1–6 cm, margins often pinnatifid with narrow lobes (lobes 0.5–1.5 mm), sometimes sinuate-dentate or subentire, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hirsute, trichomes whitish, 0.3–0.4 mm.
blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 1–2.5(–3.5) cm, margins often pinnatifid, sometimes sinuate-dentate, surfaces glabrous.
blade linear to narrowly elliptic, widest near middle or equally wide throughout, base not auriculate or with small, inconspicuous auricles (not extending around stem).
blade lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, or nearly linear, widest near base or middle, base auriculate-clasping, auricles extending around stem (at least some leaves).
internodes (1.5–)2–4.5 mm in fruit.
internodes 0.7–1.5(–2) mm in fruit.
smoothly recurved or straight and stiffly spreading, (proximal) 3–6(–10) mm.
stiffly divaricate-ascending to slightly recurved, (proximal) 3.5–6.5 mm.
flat or plano-convex, obovate to nearly orbicular, (2.5–5 mm wide);
valves often glabrous, sometimes pubescent, trichomes clavate, 0.05–0.4 mm;
wing entire or deeply crenate, rays absent or indistinct.
cymbiform, (wings strongly incurved toward flat side of fruit);
valves glabrous;
wing with spatulate lobes (these sometimes joined distally, 0.25–0.4 mm wide at narrowest), rays absent or indistinct.
Thysanocarpus laciniatus
Thysanocarpus conchuliferus
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Thysanocarpus laciniatus presents some of the same problems as does T. curvipes. Variety laciniatus contains both diploids and tetraploids (M. D. Windham, unpubl.) and varies in fruit characters, pubescence, and basal leaf shape. Specimens with sinuate-dentate basal leaf margins and small auricles on cauline leaves can be difficult to distinguish from T. curvipes. Preliminary molecular phylogenetic analyses support the distinction between T. curvipes and T. laciniatus var. laciniatus, but suggest that tetraploid populations of the latter may have arisen through hybridization between T. curvipes and a diploid member of the T. laciniatus clade (P. Alexander, unpubl.). Varieties hitchcockii and rigidus are distinctive diploids (Windham, unpubl.) with restricted ranges and may deserve specific rank. Variety rigidus (known to us from only four collections) can be difficult to distinguish from the more purplish specimens of var. laciniatus, but the latter have at least some recurved pedicels and often have pinnatifid leaves.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Thysanocarpus conchuliferus is known from Santa Cruz Island, where T. laciniatus and T. curvipes also occur. Rarely, specimens of those two species will have slightly incurved wings, or fruits folded in pressing. In such cases, the very dense, short inflorescences of T. conchuliferus provide a useful distinguishing feature.
Thysanocarpus conchuliferus is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Fruit valves pubescent, trichomes 0.05-0.1 mm. | var. hitchcockii |
1. Fruit valves usually glabrous, or trichomes 0.2-0.4 mm | → 2 |
2. Foliage usually greenish throughout, sometimes purplish basally; basal leaf blade margins pinnatifid or sinuate-dentate; fruiting pedicels smoothly recurved. | var. laciniatus |
2. Foliage purplish throughout; basal leaf blade margins subentire to sinuate-dentate; fruiting pedicels straight or nearly so. | var. rigidus |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
