Leaves generally basal and cauline, alternate, generally simple; stipules 0
Inflorescence: generally raceme
Flower bisexual; sepals 4, free; petals (0)4, free, generally white or yellow, often clawed; stamens generally (2,4)6, generally 4 long, 2 short; ovary 1, superior, chambers generally 2, septum membranous, connecting 2 parietal placentas, style 1, stigma simple or 2-lobed
Fruit: generally capsule ("silique") with 2 deciduous valves, sometimes breaking transversely or indehiscent
Seeds 1–many per chamber
Genera in family: 300+ genera, 3000+ species: worldwide, especially cool regions; some cultivated for food (especially Brassica, Raphanus ) and ornamental
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Capparaceae [Rodman et al. 1993 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 80:686–699; Rollins 1993 Cruciferae of Continental North America. Stanford Univ Press]
Family description, key to genera by Robert A. Price.
LYROCARPA
Annual, perennial herb, woody at base or not; hairs dense ± throughout, multibranched
Stem branched
Leaves petioled, deeply pinnately lobed to wavy-margined
Inflorescence open, elongate
Flower fragrant; calyx cylindric, sepals erect, converging above, << petals, outer pair ± sac-like at base
Fruit obcordate to lyre-shaped, flattened perpendicular to septum
Seeds 3–10 per chamber; embryonic root at edges of both cotyledons
Species in genus: 3 species: sw US, Mex
Etymology: (Greek: lyre fruit, from fruit shape)
| Native |
L. coulteri Hook. & Harv. var. palmeri (S. Watson) Rollins
COULTER'S LYREPOD
Perennial; caudex ± woody, irregularly branched
Stems several–many, 3–8 dm, straw-colored below, grayish above
Leaf 1–15 cm, generally < 1 cm wide, linear to ± ovate; lobes linear to oblong
Flower: sepals 8–11 mm, ± 1.5 mm wide; petals 1.5–2.5 cm, linear to oblanceolate, brownish to dull purple, blades 1–3 mm wide, generally twisted, tip acute to acuminate
Fruit 1–2 cm, ± as wide as long; pedicel spreading or ascending, 3–7 mm; style ± 0, stigma with 2 large spreading lobes
Seeds 3–5 per chamber, 2–3 mm, round; wing 0
Ecology: UNCOMMON. Dry slopes, gravelly flats, washes
Elevation: < 600 m.
Bioregional distribution: Sonoran Desert
Distribution outside California: Baja California
Flowering time: Dec–Apr
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