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Dimorphocarpa wislizeni
Species of flowering plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dimorphocarpa wislizeni, commonly known as spectacle pod, Wislizeni's spectaclepod, and touristplant, is a flowering plant in the mustard family native to western North America, where it occurs in the southwestern United States as far east as Oklahoma and Texas, and Baja California, Sonora,[2] Chihuahua, and Coahuila in Mexico.[3]
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Description
This species is an annual herb with a branching or unbranched stem 10 to 80 centimeters tall. The basal leaves are lance-shaped with toothed or lobed edges. Leaves higher on the stem are narrower, with less divided or smooth edges. The flowers have white or lavender petals 4 to 8 millimeters long. The fruit is a double-lobed, winged silicle that breaks in half at maturity, each lobe carrying a flat seed 2 or 3 millimeters wide.[3]
The plant grows in sandy and sandstone substrates[3] in desert shrubland, pinyon-juniper, and ponderosa pine associations.[4]
The seed pods of Dimorphocarpa wislizeni are flat, green, two-lobed capsules that superficially resemble spectacles, hence the common name. This feature makes identification of Spectacle Pod easy.
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Uses
The Zuni people applied a warm infusion of the pulverized plant to swelling, especially the throat. A decoction of entire plant was given for delirium.[5] An infusion of the plant was taken by men to "loosen their tongues so they may talk like fools and drunken men."[6] The flower and fruit are eaten as an emetic for stomachaches.[7]
References
External links
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