Physaria didymocarpa
Encyclopedia
Physaria didymocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by the common name common twinpod. It is native to western North America, including British Columbia
and Alberta
in Canada and the northwestern United States.
This perennial herb produces several decumbent stems from a hairy caudex
. The stems are around 10 centimeters in length and have lance-shaped leaves measuring one or two centimeters long. The ends of the stems have inflorescence
s which are dense raceme
s of yellow flowers. The petals are roughly one centimeter long. The fruit is an inflated silicle up to 2 centimeters long by 2 wide which is firm to papery and fuzzy in texture.
There are three subspecies of this plant. The ssp. lanata is native to Montana
and Wyoming
. The ssp. lyrata, a taxon characterized by its very inflated, papery fruits, is endemic to Idaho
.
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 common twinpod. It is native to western North America, including British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in Canada and the northwestern United States.
This perennial herb produces several decumbent stems from a hairy 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...
. The stems are around 10 centimeters in length and have lance-shaped leaves measuring one or two centimeters long. The ends of the stems have 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...
s which are dense 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...
s of yellow flowers. The petals are roughly one centimeter long. The fruit is an inflated silicle up to 2 centimeters long by 2 wide which is firm to papery and fuzzy in texture.
There are three subspecies of this plant. The ssp. lanata is native to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The ssp. lyrata, a taxon characterized by its very inflated, papery fruits, is endemic to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.