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Bladderpod
Peritoma arborea
  
About Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) 58 Nurseries Carry This Plant Bladder Pod (Peritoma arborea) is a species of the Caper family. It is native to California (primarily southern) and Baja California, where it grows in a variety of habitats from coastal bluffs to desert arroyos.

This densely-branching shrub produces abundant bright-yellow flower clusters at the ends of its stem branches.

The fruit is an large, inflated capsule, which is edible. It is smooth and green when new, aging to light brown. A typical flower cluster bears a number of unopened flower buds at its tip, open flowers proximal to the buds, and, below these, maturing fruits that have shed their flowers.

Bladderpod is one of the easiest California natives to grow in landscape applications. It tolerates weekly summer water but can also get by with only natural rainfall. It is easy to grow from seeds, usually growing in a year to 3 feet tall. It readily self seeds; once you have a few mature plants in your garden, expect new seedlings to pop up each winter.

This tough plant grows well even on south-facing slopes, alkaline soils, and salty conditions. The flowers stay on the plant most of the year, and attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is highly fragrant, though opinion is divided on whether the scent is pleasant or unpleasant.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
1.6 - 6.6 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant, Fragrant - Unpleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
It particularly attracts harlequin beetles which eat the leaves

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers well-drained soils such as sand or decomposed granite. Tolerates Saline Soil. Soil PH: 7.0 - 9.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
A huge range of potential companions including Sand Verbena (Abronia spp.), California Sea Lavender (Limonium californicum), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Chamise (Adenostema fasciculatum), Brittlebush (Encelia spp.), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri), Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata), Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Chuparosa (Justicia californica), Apricot Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), Yucca species, numerous cactus species.

Maintenance
Maintenance
If harlequin beetles become a problem, they can be removed by hand or sprayed off with a garden hose. It is usually not possible to eliminate them entirely.

Propagation
Propagation?
By seed

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
8, 9, 12, 13, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
This plant is unique in occurring in the immediate vicinity of the seashore, inland valleys and foothills, as well as in high desert and low desert. Near the coast, it is typically found on dry slopes in coastal sage scrub. In the high desert, it's found in Joshua Tree Woodland; in low desert, in Creosote Bush Scrub.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.0" - 37.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 2.67", Coldest Month: 34.3" - 60.8", Hottest Month: 61.8" - 89.1", Humidity: 0.88" - 41.57", Elevation: -136" - 6023"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Isomeris arborea,Cleome arborea,Cleome isomeris
Common Names: Bladder Pod, Burrofat, California Cleome, Coastal Bladderpod


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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