Dimorphocarpa wislizeni
| Dimorphocarpa wislizeni | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Dimorphocarpa |
| Species: | D. wislizeni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dimorphocarpa wislizeni | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dithyrea griffithsii Woot. & Standl. | |
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]
Description
[edit]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.
Uses
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ NatureServe (2023). "Dimorphocarpa wislizeni". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Dimorphocarpa wislizeni". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Dimorphocarpa wislizeni. Flora of North America.
- ^ Dimorphocarpa wislizeni. NatureServe. 2012.
- ^ Stevenson, M. C. 1915. Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30 (p.48-49)
- ^ Stevenson, p.91
- ^ Camazine, S. and R. A. Bye. 1980. A study of the medical ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2 365-88. (p.375)
External links
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