Physaria bellii
Physaria bellii is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Bell's twinpod and Front Range twinpod. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States.[1][2]
| Physaria bellii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Physaria |
| Species: | P. bellii |
| Binomial name | |
| Physaria bellii G.A.Mulligan | |
This perennial herb produces decumbent or prostrate stems from a caudex. The plant is covered in hairs, making it silvery. The basal leaves are toothed and the leaves along the stems are smooth on the edges. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers with yellow petals and yellowish sepals. The fruit is a leathery pod reaching nearly a centimeter in length.[3] Flowering occurs in May and June.[1]
This plant grows on the Front Range in Colorado. It grows on the Niobrara, Pierre, Fountain, Ingleside, and Lykins Formations. The soils are limestone, limestone shale, or red sandstone.[1][2] The habitat is shrubland dominated by Rhus trilobata and Cercocarpus montanus.[2]
The plant is rare in general but locally abundant.[4] Potential threats to the species include hybridization with Physaria vitulifera, a more widespread plant,[5] limestone mining, road construction and maintenance, and introduced species of plants. The main threat is residential development.[1]
References
- Physaria bellii. The Nature Conservancy.
- Physaria bellii. Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
- Physaria bellii. Flora of North America.
- Kothera, L., et al. (2007). Genetic diversity and structure in the rare Colorado endemic plant Physaria bellii Mulligan (Brassicaceae). Conservation Genetics 8(5) 1043-50.
- Kothera, L., et al. (2007). Assessing the threat from hybridization to the rare endemic Physaria bellii Mulligan (Brassicaceae). Biological Conservation 140 110-18.