Common name:
Straight bladderpod
Family:
Scientific name:
Physaria rectipes
Synonym:
Lesquerella rectipes
Main flower color:
Range:
The Four Corners states
Height:
Up to 12 inches; angled or prostrate
Habitat:
Sandy locations, rocky hillsides, washes, pinyon-juniper woods; up to 8,500 feet
Leaves:
Oblanceolate to elliptic, around 3 inches long. Entire or toothed margins
Season:
April to July
Physaria rectipes is typical of many other members of this genus, forming small clusters of four-petaled yellow flowers, borne at the ends of sparsely-leafed, reddish-green stems - typically 4 to 8 - that branch from the base of the plant. Stems tend to lie along the ground or rise at a low angle. Most leaves are basal, oblanceolate in shape, growing in a rosette; stem leaves are more spatulate, smaller, and fewer in number. Leaves, stems and buds have a rough surface, due to a covering of short, branched hairs - the hairs are split into 4 to 6 branches, each partly divided.
Flowers are formed of four elliptic sepals, and four larger, obovate petals, somewhat narrower (clawed) at the base. The stamens and pistil are also yellow.
Flowers are formed of four elliptic sepals, and four larger, obovate petals, somewhat narrower (clawed) at the base. The stamens and pistil are also yellow.
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