Erysimum pachycarpum Hook.f. & Thomson

Erysimum species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs. Rootstocks taproot. Trichomes 2-5 rayed stellate, medifixed, forked, appressed, sessile. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually branched from the base, sometimes branched above, pubescent, rarely glabrous. Basal leaves simple, in rosulate or not, lanceolate to obovate, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, dentate or pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves, base cuneate, attenuate or rarely auriculate, margins entire or shallow dentate, petiole sessile or subsessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, ebracteate or bracteate in lowermost flowers, rarely entirely bracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, purplish, pink, orange, violet or white, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, thick or slender, ascending, reflex or divaricate, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base saccate or not, apex obtuse, petals 4, obovate-spathulate to suborbicular, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse or emarginate, claw differentiated. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments simple, anthers linear-oblong, nectar glands 2 to 4, confluent and subtending bases of stamens, median glands present or absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, pubescent, ovules 10-100. Fruit siliqua or rarely silicles, dehiscent, linear-ellipsoid to ovoid-linear, compressed, terete, quadrangular, angustiseptate, latiseptate, valves 1 veined flat, veins obscure or distinct, septum complete, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bilobed or entire. Seeds 5-20, uniseriate or biseriate, compressed or not, brown, oblong-ovoid, winged, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent rarely accumbent.

Erysimum species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: June—August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect robust herbs, about 30-80 cm tall. Rootstocks woody taproot. Trichomes forked, scattered. Stem erect, leafy, simple or sparsely branched from the base, pubescent with stellate branched forked trichomes. Basal leaves simple in rosulate, oblanceolate-oblong to lanceolate, about 8-9 x 0.8-1.2 cm across, withered by the time of flowering, base cuneate, margin entire or sinuate dentate, apex acute, petiole short. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, densely 10-25 flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, orange, about 8-10 mm across, pedicel erect, narrower than the fruit, ascending, about 5-15 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, about 4-5 mm long, petals 4, obovate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, about 6-8 x 3-4 mm across, claw differentiated. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments simple, anthers linear-oblong. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 70-100. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear-subcylindrical, compressed, quadrangular, slightly curved, latiseptate, about 60-90 x 1.5-2.5 mm across, valves obtusely keeled, veins distinct, septum complete, style stout, about 2-3 mm long, stigma large, capitate, bilobed. Seeds 20-40, uniseriate, brown, oblong-ovoid, not winged, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous when soaked.

Erysimum species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Eastern Himalayan slopes, altitude 3000-4000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).