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Key to Physaria

Brassicaceae

Physaria

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1 Cauline leaves expanded at the base, usually auriculate
1 Cauline leaves cuneate or petiolate at the base, not auriculate.
  2 Plants from a slightly to strongly woody caudex, perennial herbs.
    3 Fruits (1-) 2-3 mm long, slightly pubescent on the exterior; petals 3.5-6.5 (-7.5) mm long, bright yellow; ovules 4 per ovary (flower)
    3 Fruits (2-) 3-10 mm long, glabrous (or papillose) on the exterior; petals 4.5-15 mm long, variously white, pale yellow, bright yellow, or orange; ovules 8-32 (-40) per ovary (flower).
      4 Hairs of the stems with rays fused (webbed) > 1/2 their lengths
      4 Hairs of the stems with rays not fused or only fused basally.
        5 Petals white, (9-) 11-15 mm long
        5 Petals yellow, yellow-orange, or orange (or mixtures of those colors), 4.5-12 (-14) mm long.
          6 Hairs of the stems asymmetrical, with a deep notch on one side, often with a U-shped gap between 2 of the rays
          6 Hairs of the stems symmetrical, not notched.
             7 Stem leaves ascending, appressed, and strongly overlapping; ovules 16-32 per ovary (flower)
             7 Stem leaves spreading, not overlapping; ovules 8-16 per ovary (flower)
  2 Plants from a fine taproot, annual or biennial herbs (or sometimes perennial in P. gordonii).
               8 Petals white
               8 Petals pale yellow, yellow, orange-yellow, or orange.
                 9 Stem leaves similar in shape to the basal leaves.
                   10 Ovules 4 per ovary (flower); silicles sessile or with stipes (gynophores) < 0.5 mm long
                   10 Ovules 8-20 (-28) per ovary (flower); silicle stipes (gynophores) 0.5-2 mm long.
                     11 Pedicels sigmoid (S-shaped) in fruit; silicle stipes (gynophores) 0.5-1 mm long
                     11 Pedicels straight or slightly curved in fruit; silicle stipes (gynophores) 0-2 mm long.
                       12 Stems to 7 dm tall; blade margins of stem leaves usually deeply dentate, rarely repand; silicle stipes <0.5 mm long; silicles globose or subglobose, 3-6 mm, the base rounded
                       12 Stems usually < 3 dm; cauline leaves: blade margins of stem leaves frequently repand, occasionally dentate; silicle stipes 1-2 mm long, slender; silicles obpyriform to narrowly obovoid, (5-) 6-9 mm long, the base truncate
                 9 Stem leaves different in shape than the basal leaves.
                          13 Pedicels recurved in fruit
                          13 Pedicels straight, curved upwards, or sigmoid (S-shaped) in fruit.
                            14 Ovules 4 per ovary (flower); petals pale yellow
                            14 Ovules 8-16 (-20) per ovary (flower); petals bright yellow to orange.
                              15 Fruit valves densely papillose on their outer surfaces
                              15 Fruit valves glabrous on their outer surfaces.
                                16 Pedicels straight or slightly upcurved in fruit
                                16 Pedicels sigmoid (S-shaped) in fruit