Western bladderpod

Vesicaria occidentalis S. Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 353. 1885; Lesquerella occidentalis (S. Watson) S. Watson

Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (thickened, sometimes subterranean); densely pubes-cent, trichomes (sessile or short-stalked), 5-7-rayed, rays distinct, bifurcate, (moderately to prominently tuberculate). Stems few to several from base, prostrate to decumbent or erect, (usually unbranched), 0.3-1.5 (-3) dm. Basal leaves: (petiole slender); blade suborbic-ular to obovate or elliptic, 1-8 cm, (base narrowing gradually or abruptly to petiole), margins sinuate- dentate or entire. Cauline leaves: (proximal shortly petiolate, distal sessile); blade oblanceolate, 0.5-1.5 (-2.5) cm, margins entire or remotely dentate. Racemes dense or loose. Fruiting pedicels (sigmoid or curved), 5-10(-15) mm. Flowers: sepals elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 4.5-7 mm, (median pair cucullate); petals spatulate, 7-9(-14) mm, (claw undifferentiated from blade). Fruits (erect), ellipsoid to obovoid, compressed at apex and sometimes margins (strongly latiseptate), (5-)6-9 mm, (apex acute, often beaked); valves densely pubescent, trichomes appressed or spreading, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside, trichomes 4- or 5-rayed; ovules 4-12 per ovary; style (2-)3-6.5 mm, (often sparsely pubescent). Seeds: inner surface flattened, outer convex.

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora): w United States.

Lower Taxa

• Physaria occidentalis subsp. cinerascens (Maguire & A. H. Holmgren) O’Kane & Al-Shehbaz
• Physaria occidentalis subsp. occidentalis