''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

; 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