Bladderpod, Peritoma arborea

About Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) 57 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Bladder Pod is a species of the Caper family also known by the common names burrofat, and California Cleome. It is native to California (primarily southern) and Baja California where it grows in a variety of habitats from coastal bluffs to desert arroyos. It is a densely branching shrub reaching one half to two meters in height. Its leaves are made up of three equal leaf-like leaflets, each a long, pointed oval one to four centimeters long. The plant produces abundant flower clusters at the ends of the stem branches, each a cluster of bright yellow flowers. Each flower has usually four petals and six whiskery protruding stamens with curling tips holding the anthers. At the middle is a long, protruding style which holds the developing fruit at its tip. The fruit is an inflated capsule about 4 centimeters long. It 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 maturing fruits which have shed their flowers below these.

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. They are easy to grow from seeds, usually growing in a year to 3 feet tall. The readily self seed, and 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 are beautiful, bright yellow, and stay on the plant most of the year, and attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is highly fragrant, though the public is divided on whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

1.6 - 6.6 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant, Fragrant - Unpleasant

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Wildlife Supported

It particularly attracts harlequin beetles which eat the leaves
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Checkered White Pontia protodicePontia protodice

Becker's White Pontia beckeriiPontia beckerii

Western White Pontia occidentalisPontia occidentalis

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Eidophasia dammersiEidophasia dammersi

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 57

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

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

Common uses

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

Companion Plants

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

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?

By seed.

Sunset Zones?

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

Natural Setting

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 - Joshua Tree woodland. In the low desert - Creosote Bush scrub

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

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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

Bladderpod

Peritoma arborea

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BladderpodPeritoma arborea

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Bladderpod

Peritoma arborea