Thelypodiopsis vaseyi (Las Vegas Tumble Mustard)
Family
BRASSICACEAE
Synonyms
SISYMBRIUM VASEYI
Common Name
Las Vegas Tumble Mustard
Description
Glabrous, glaucous annual with single stem highly branched above, 4-10 dm tall; lower leaves entire or rarely denticulate, up to 6 cm long and rarely to 1.5 cm wide; upper leaves lanceolate to narrowly linear; inflorescences few-flowered, terminating slender branches; petals white, 3-3.5 mm long; fruiting pedicels slender, spreading at right-angles or slightly ascending, 8-11 mm long; siliques erect, torulose, 1.5-2.5 cm long.
Distribution
Northern to central New Mexico (Rollins 1993); mostly from the north-central to the south-central parts (Martin and Hutchins 1980).
Habitat
Canyon, mixed pine forest, open wooded slopes (Rollins 1993); 7000-9000' (Martin and Hutchins 1980); forest openings, 9600' (Pase 3533); along road in yellow pine woods (Soreng & Spellenberg 605); gravel and clay loam of forest area, ca. 8200' (Hutchins 9745); yello pine on canyon slopes (Gordon & Norris 570); white fir, doug fir, yellow pine, 9000' (Gordon & Norris 600)
Remarks
In Wooton and Standley (1915) and Martin and Hutchins (1980) this is treated as Sisymbrium vaseyi S. Wats. Various authors indicate that the species is restricted to the mountains of New Mexico, but none indicate it is rare. As a state endemic, it was apparently overlooked in the preparation of a handbook on rare and endemic plants of the state (New Mexico Native Plant Protection Advisory Committee 1983). The plant is annual, and as such can be expected to positively respond to minor disturbance within its habitat, as perhaps indicated by label data on Soreng & Spellenberg 605. The species is not recorded in Henrickson and Johnston (1997).
Conservation Considerations
Endemic to New Mexico; apparently occuring in two major sites, the Sacramento Mts. in the south and around the Pecos River in the north.
Important Literature
Rollins, R.C. 1993. The Cruciferae of continental North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980. A Flora of New Mexico, vol. 1. J. Cramer, Vaduz.
Henrickson, J., and M.C. Johnston. 1997. A flora of the Chihuahuan Desert region. Privately published proof copy, J. Henrickson, Los Angeles. 1687 pp.
New Mexico Native Plant Protection Advisory Committee. 1983. A handbook of rare and endemic plants of New Mexico. Univ. of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 291 pp.
Wooton, E.O., and P.C. Standley. 1915. Flora of New Mexico. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herbarium 19: 1-794.
Information Compiled By
Richard Spellenberg 1998
For distribution maps and more information, visit Natural Heritage New Mexico