''Thelypodium integrifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the
mustard family
Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...
known by the common names entireleaved thelypody and foxtail thelypodium. It is native to much of the western United States, including the
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
and surrounding plateaus and deserts.
It occurs in several types of habitat, often growing in sandy, mineral-rich, and
alkaline soils
Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico- ...
, such as those on
playas.
Description
''Thelypodium integrifolium'' is a biennial herb producing a hairless, waxy stem with a thick, sturdy base, unbranched or branching toward the top and sometimes becoming quite tall, approaching three meters in maximum height. The thick, waxy leaves are not compound or lobed, having smooth edges. The largest basal leaves may exceed 30 centimeters in length. Leaves higher on the plant are shorter and are smooth-edged or toothed.
The
inflorescence is a dense, cylindrical, spikelike
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of white or purplish flowers. The fruit is a
silique which may be 8 centimeters long.
Subspecies
There are five subspecies:
*''T. i.'' ssp. ''affine'' - white petals -
Mojave Desert (
California), Great Basin.
*''T. i.'' ssp. ''complanatum'' - mainly limited to the
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
; generally with lavender petals.
Jepson: ''T. i.'' ssp. ''complanatum''
/ref>
*''T. i.'' ssp. ''gracilipes'' - native to the Four Corners
The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
region
*''T. i.'' ssp. ''integrifolium'' - widespread in the northern distribution of the species
*''T. i.'' ssp. ''longicarpum'' - endemic to Arizona, where it is known only from the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
and vicinity
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Thelypodium integrifolium''
U.C. Photo gallery: ''Thelypodium integrifolium'' ssp. ''affine''
integrifolium
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of Arizona
Flora of California
Flora of Nevada
Flora of the Great Basin
Flora of the California desert regions
{{Brassicales-stub