Desert Bladderpod
Moapa Bladderpod
Lesquerella 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 usu. a few branches.
FRUIT: A spherical pod on a gracefully curved peduncle. The pod has two
chambers and there are usu. 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 Mojave Desert of California. The very similar Gordon's
Bladderpod 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 elyptic leaves are alternate on stems. Leaves and stems are
covered with stellate hairs that
give a silvery appearance and a granular texture.
UNARMED
