Physaria fendleri

This and Physaria gordoni, both formerly in the genus Lesquerella, can form large carpets of flowers on dry slopes in wet years. This species is generally lower, more prostrate, and more densely leafy than gordoni, but reliable identification requires microscopic observation of leaf trichomes. Physaria fendleri seems to be the more abundant of the two in New Mexico, especially on limestone.

Plant habit on A Mountain on the east side of Las Cruces, 8/23/04.

Flowers on A Mountain, 8/23/04.