Lesquerella tumulosa
Encyclopedia
Lesquerella tumulosa is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by the common name Kodachrome bladderpod. It is endemic to Utah
in the United States, where it is known only from Kane County
. There is only one known population of this plant made up of scattered occurrences totalling about 20,000 individuals, all within the Kodachrome Basin
. The plant is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat
. It is federally listed as an endangered species
. It is known by the name Physaria tumulosa in some sources, and it was previously treated as a subspecies of Lesquerella hitchcockii.
This is a perennial herb producing short stems from a buried caudex
and forming a tough mat just a few centimeters tall. The mat has hairy, somewhat fleshy leaves which are linear or lance-shaped and up to 1.2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a crowded raceme
of bright yellow flowers. The fruit is an inflated silique
a few millimeters wide.
The single known population of this plant is mostly located on land within the bounds of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
and Kodachrome Basin State Park
. It grows on dry outcrops of white shale
at roughly 1740 meters (5700 feet) in elevation
. The rock is part of the Carmel geologic formation
. The plant is commonly associated with buckbrush
(Purshia tridentata) and yellow cryptantha (Cryptantha flava), but it grows on bare rocky substrate with little other vegetation.
This plant is a narrow endemic which is limited in distribution, and the land on which it grows is impacted by a number of processes. The main threat to the species is off-road vehicle
use. The vehicles cause soil degradation, erosion
, and plant mortality. Gravel mining
was a threat to the species but since the area was designated a national monument these operations have ceased.
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
known by the common name Kodachrome bladderpod. It is endemic to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in the United States, where it is known only from Kane County
Kane County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,046 people, 2,237 households, and 1,628 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
. There is only one known population of this plant made up of scattered occurrences totalling about 20,000 individuals, all within the Kodachrome Basin
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin is a state park of Utah, USA. It is situated above sea level, south of Utah Route 12, and southeast of Bryce Canyon National Park. It is accessible from the north from Cannonville by a paved road and from the south by Road 400, a dirt road from the Page, Arizona area to...
. The plant is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. It is federally listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. It is known by the name Physaria tumulosa in some sources, and it was previously treated as a subspecies of Lesquerella hitchcockii.
This is a perennial herb producing short stems from a buried caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and forming a tough mat just a few centimeters tall. The mat has hairy, somewhat fleshy leaves which are linear or lance-shaped and up to 1.2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a crowded raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of bright yellow flowers. The fruit is an inflated silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
a few millimeters wide.
The single known population of this plant is mostly located on land within the bounds of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument contains 1.9 million acres of land in southern Utah, the United States. There are three main regions: the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante. President Bill Clinton designated the area as a U.S. National...
and Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin is a state park of Utah, USA. It is situated above sea level, south of Utah Route 12, and southeast of Bryce Canyon National Park. It is accessible from the north from Cannonville by a paved road and from the south by Road 400, a dirt road from the Page, Arizona area to...
. It grows on dry outcrops of white shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
at roughly 1740 meters (5700 feet) in elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
. The rock is part of the Carmel geologic formation
Carmel Formation
The Carmel Formation is a geologic formation in the San Rafael Group that is spread across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, north east Arizona and New Mexico...
. The plant is commonly associated with buckbrush
Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the genus Purshia, native to mountainous areas of western North America ranging from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and south to California and New Mexico...
(Purshia tridentata) and yellow cryptantha (Cryptantha flava), but it grows on bare rocky substrate with little other vegetation.
This plant is a narrow endemic which is limited in distribution, and the land on which it grows is impacted by a number of processes. The main threat to the species is off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
use. The vehicles cause soil degradation, erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, and plant mortality. Gravel mining
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
was a threat to the species but since the area was designated a national monument these operations have ceased.