Desert Bladderpod
Moapa Bladderpod
Lesquerella tenella
(Physaria tenella)
Photographed near Robbin's Butte, Maricopa Co., Arizona. March 2008.
ANNUAL: Spring annual occasionally occurring in great abundance
following winters with good rainfall. Most plants are less than
30 cm tall; their growth is upright with usually. a few branches.
FRUIT: A spherical pod on a gracefully curved peduncle. The pod has two
chambers and there are usually. a few seeds in each chamber.
FLOWERS: Four relatively large, bright yellow to orangish petals
subtended by four green sepals. Six stamens of two sizes.
RANGE: Frequent throughout the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona and
ranging into the Mohave Desert of California. The very similar Gordon's
Bladderpod (Physaria gordonii) ranges from eastern Maricopa County through Pima County and into the
Chihuahuan Desert to the east. Rocky slopes, desert flats/pavements and along
washes are the preferred habitats of both species.
LEAVES: Narrowly elliptic leaves are alternate on stems. Leaves and stems are
covered with stylolite hairs that
give a silvery appearance and a granular texture. Before flowering the plants grow close to the ground with many leaves in a rosette.
UNARMED
Brassicaceae -- Mustard Family
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