| Phoenicaulis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Phoenicaulis |
| Species: | P. cheiranthoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides Nutt. |
|
Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names daggerpod and wallflower phoenicaulis. It is a small perennial herb of sagebrush country in the inland western United States. It has pink or light purple flowers and pale, fuzzy leaves, and is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring in its area. The fruit is lance-shaped, long compared to its width, and rather hard when dry (see image at left), from which the common name "daggerpod" derives. It thrives in rocky volcanic soils as well as clay, and likes open, sunny areas in the sagebrush scrub. More rarely, it is found in exposed higher areas such as mountain passes[1], as for the example at left. It is the only member of this genus,[2] although the similar but yellow-flowered plant Anelsonia eurycarpa is sometimes treated in synonymy with this genus as P. eurycarpa. [3]