Physaria lepidota

Physaria lepidota
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Physaria
Species:	P. lepidota
Binomial name
Physaria lepidota Rollins
Synonyms [1]
(for subsp. membranacea) Physaria chambersii var. membranaceaRollins Physaria lepidota var. membranacea(Rollins) Rollins

Physaria lepidota, the Kane County twinpod, is a plant species endemic to Utah. It is known only from Kane, Washington, and Garfield Counties in the southern part of the state. ^[2] It grows on rocky slopes and outcrops, and sometimes in disturbed areas. ^[3]

Physaria lepidota is a perennial herb with most of the above-ground parts covered with a silvery pubescence. Stems branch at the base but rarely above, sometimes reaching a height of 20 cm (8 inches). Flowers are yellow, born in a dense raceme. Fruits are highly inflated, up to 20 mm (0.8 inches) across with purplish papery walls. ^{[4] [5]}

Subspecies

Despite the limited range of the species, two subspecies are generally recognized, differing in the shapes of the fruits and of the hairs in the pubescence: ^{[6] [7]}

Physaria lepidota subsp. lepidota

and

Physaria lepidota subsp. membranacea

The two subspecies also differ in chromosome number (2n=16 for subsp. lepidota, 2n=8 for subsp. membranacea). ^[3]

References

1. "The Plant List". Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
2. USDA Plant Resources Conservation Service, Plants Profile
3. Flora of North America v 7 p 648 Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine .
4. Rollins, R. C. 1981. Studies in the genus Physaria (Cruciferae). Brittonia 33(3): 332–341.
5. Holmgren, N. H., P. K. Holmgren & A.J. Cronquist. 2005. Vascular plants of the intermountain west, U.S.A., subclass Dilleniidae. 2(B): 1–488. In A.J. Cronquist, A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren, J. L. Reveal & P. K. Holmgren (eds.) Intermountain Flora. Hafner Publishing Co., New York.
6. "O'Kane, Steve Lawrence. Novon 17(4): 531. 2007". Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
7. Rollins, Reed C. (1981). "Studies in the Genus Physaria (Cruciferae)" . Brittonia. 33 (3): 332–341. Bibcode:1981Britt..33..332R. doi:10.2307/2806423. JSTOR   2806423. Archived from the original on 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-16.