Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Presented in Association with the
Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences

Physaria gordonii (A. Gray) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz
(Gordon's Bladderpod)

Family: Brassicaceae

Status: Native

Synonyms:
Lesquerella gordonii (Gray) S. Watson var. gordonii
Vesicaria gordonii Gray

Physaria gordonii is a spreading to ascending annual with bright yellow flowers and globose fruits with obsolete styles. The fruiting pedicels become noticeably sigmoid with maturity. This species looks similar to Physaria fendleri which is an perennial with straighter fruiting pedicels. Physaria gordonii is found at middle elevations in sandy soils. In the spring, hillsides filled with orange are poppies, but fields filled with yellow can be Physaria gordonii (or also Leptosiphon chrysophyllus!)
Please click on an image for a larger file.



Physaria gordonii, field of plants, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, single plant, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, annual root system, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, fruiting pedicels become sigmoid as they mature, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, flower and immature fruit so pedicels not yet sigmoid, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, flowers and herbage, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Bill Evans Road, April 16, 2009



Physaria gordonii, fields of flowers, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Hwy 180N near Gila, April 5, 2010


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