General: King Bladderpod (Lesquerella kingii) is a perennial forb that grows from a large root (caudex). Several round, densely hairy leaves with relatively long petioles are produced from the root. In the spring, yellow, 4-petaled flowers are produced. These in turn produce inflated bean pods (bladder pods).
King Bladderpod is a fairly common component of mountain vegetation communities in the Upper Sonoran (Pinyon-Juniper Woodland), Transition (Yellow Pine Forest), Canadian (Pine-Fir Forest), Hudsonian (Bristlecone Pine Forest), and Alpine (Tundra) life zones. Around Las Vegas, look for this species up in the mountains such as on Mt. Charleston in the Spring Mountains and the Sheep Range on the Desert National Wildlife Range.
Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae). |