Chorispora macropoda Trautv.

Chorispora species annual to perennial herbs. Stem simple or branched from the base, erect, stalked trichomes glandular or sometimes not glandular, with simple or branched hairs. Basal leaves in rosulate, deeply pinnatisect, pinnatifid or rarely entire, base cuneate to auriculate, margin lobed, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous or pubescent, petiolate, upper cauline similar to basal ones or absent, petiolate to subsessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, many flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, solitary on pedicels, bluish, lavender, yellow, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, ascending, elongated in fruit, sepals 4, erect, oblong to ovate, lateral pair slightly saccate, petals 4, broadly obovate to obcordate, almost twice as long as sepals, base cuneate, margin entire, apex emarginated or sometimes obtuse, claw strongly differentiated and long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated, anthers oblong to linear, nectar glands 2 or 4. ovary superior, linear bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 6-30, style long, stigma bilobed. Fruit articulated siliqua, indehiscent, compressed, to broadly linear, tapering or beaked near the apex, breaking into 1 seeded segments, bilocular, torulose or moniliform, becoming hard and splitting in the middle, style about half the length of the fruit. Seeds few to many, each in 1 locule, uniseriate, compressed, brown, oblong-ovoid, not winged, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Chorispora 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: May-July.

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.

Suberect perennial herbs, scapose, about 3-9 cm tall. Root stock long, thick, inconspicuous. Stem branched from the base, forming dense compact tufts, stalked trichomes glandular and eglandular and finely pubescent with simple hairs. Basal radicle leaves in dense rosulate, persistent, pinnatisect or pinnatifid, linear lanceolate-oblanceolate in outline, about 20-30 x 3-7 mm across, base attentuate, margin ciliate, dentate or sinuate dentate with 2-4 pairs of small lateral lobes, apex subacute, sparsely pubescent both above and beneath, petiole ciliated, slender, about 1-3.5 cm long. Cauline leaves absent. Inflorescence racemes, terminal, lax, 3-8 flowered, up to 7 cm long in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, solitary arising from the rosette, yellow, actinomorphic, about 0.8-1 cm across, pedicel erect, slender, glabrous or glandular, elongated in fruit, about 0.8-1.2 cm long, sepals 4, erect, oblong, slightly pilose, yellowish, lateral pair slightly saccate, about 2-3 x 1.5 mm across, petals 4, broadly obovate-obcordate, almost twice as long as sepals, base attentuate, margin entire, apex emarginated, about 5-7 x 2-4 mm across, claw strongly differentiated, about 3-4 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated, about 2-3 mm long, anthers linear oblong, about 1.5 mm across, nectar glands 2 or 4. Ovary superior, linear bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 6-30, style long, stigma bilobed. Fruit articulated siliqua, indehiscent, broadly linear cylindric, tapering or beaked near the apex, breaking into 1 seeded segments or about 4-8, bilocular, corky, strongly torulose, becoming hard and splitting in the middle, about 1-1.3 x 0.2-0.22 cm across, style about 2.5-4 mm long. Seeds few to many, each in 1 locule, uniseriate, compressed, reddish brown, oblong-ovoid, not winged, not mucilaginous when soaked, about 1-1.2 mm long, cotyledons accumbent.

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

Grassy and rocky slopes, altitude 3000-4000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).