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Plant Guide

Cleome isomeris Greene
bladderpod spiderflower
CLIS
Cultivar: Dorado

Summary

Duration

Perennial

Growth Habit

Subshrub, Shrub

U.S. Nativity

Native to U.S.

Federal T/E Status

 

National Wetland Indicator

 

 

Morphology/Physiology

Active Growth Period

Spring and Summer

After Harvest Regrowth Rate

 

Bloat

Medium

C:N Ratio

Medium

Coppice Potential

No

Fall Conspicuous

No

Fire Resistant

No

Flower Color

Yellow

Flower Conspicuous

Yes

Foliage Color

Green

Foliage Porosity Summer

Dense

Foliage Porosity Winter

Moderate

Foliage Texture

Coarse

Fruit/Seed Color

Brown

Fruit/Seed Conspicuous

Yes

Growth Form

Multiple Stem

Growth Rate

Moderate

Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)

5

Height, Mature (feet)

5

Known Allelopath

No

Leaf Retention

No

Lifespan

Moderate

Low Growing Grass

No

Nitrogen Fixation

Medium

Resprout Ability

Yes

Shape and Orientation

Erect

Toxicity

None

 

Growth Requirements

Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils

Yes

Adapted to Fine Textured Soils

No

Adapted to Medium Textured Soils

Yes

Anaerobic Tolerance

None

CaCO3 Tolerance

High

Cold Stratification Required

No

Drought Tolerance

High

Fertility Requirement

Low

Fire Tolerance

Low

Frost Free Days, Minimum

190

Hedge Tolerance

Medium

Moisture Use

Low

pH, Minimum

6

pH, Maximum

9.5

Planting Density per Acre, Minimum

700

Planting Density per Acre, Maximum

2700

Precipitation, Minimum

7

Precipitation, Maximum

18

Root Depth, Minimum (inches)

20

Salinity Tolerance

High

Shade Tolerance

Intolerant

Temperature, Minimum (°F)

2

 

Reproduction

Bloom Period

Early Spring

Commercial Availability

Routinely Available

Fruit/Seed Abundance

High

Fruit/Seed Period Begin

Spring

Fruit/Seed Period End

Summer

Fruit/Seed Persistence

Yes

Propagated by Bare Root

Yes

Propagated by Bulb

No

Propagated by Container

Yes

Propagated by Corm

No

Propagated by Cuttings

No

Propagated by Seed

Yes

Propagated by Sod

No

Propagated by Sprigs

No

Propagated by Tubers

No

Seed per Pound

5000

Seed Spread Rate

Slow

Seedling Vigor

High

Small Grain

No

Vegetative Spread Rate

None

 

Suitability/Use

Berry/Nut/Seed Product

No

Christmas Tree Product

No

Fodder Product

No

Fuelwood Product

None

Lumber Product

No

Naval Store Product

No

Nursery Stock Product

Yes

Palatable Browse Animal

Medium

Palatable Graze Animal

Low

Palatable Human

No

Post Product

No

Protein Potential

Medium

Pulpwood Product

No

Veneer Product

No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass  Dilleniidae

Order  Capparales

Family  Capparaceae -- Caper family

Genus  Cleome L. -- spiderflower P

Species  Cleome isomeris Greene -- bladderpod spiderflower P

 

Alternate name

Bladderpod spiderflower

 

Uses

Wildlife: It serves as a good wildlife plant for upland game, especially quail.  It does provide some escape cover and shade for loafing areas and is a source of food. The pea-like seeds are taken readily by a variety of game and song birds.

 

Ethnobotanical Uses: The Diegueno Indians used the seeds and flowers for food.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description

Caper Family (Capparaceae).  Bladderpod is a native, erect, round, shrub four to six feet high and at least as wide.  The leaves are alternate and trifoliate.  The flowers, which are yellow with six stamens, bloom much of the year and are quite attractive.  The seed pods are large, inflated and pendulous with only a few hard, smooth seeds with a prominent end curved.

 

Distribution

Bladderpod often grows in disturbed areas, and also on coastal bluffs, hills and desert washes.  The shrub’s native distribution is southern California, Baja California, and Arizona from 200 to 3,000 feet in elevation.  For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

 

Adaptation

This native plant is a desert type.  In California, it occurs in San Luis Obispo County and in much of lower California, and in the vicinity of Tehachapi, as well as western Fresno and eastern Monterey counties.  In the Bakersfield and Tehachapi regions, it can be found to an elevation of 4,000 feet.  In cultivated plantings, it has been grown as far north as southern Butte County.  It has a wide range of temperature tolerance from below freezing to over 100 degrees F.  It is very drought tolerant.  Little is known at this time about its adaptation to soils below a pH of 6.

 

Establishment

The large seed germinates readily.  It requires no treatment before planting.  It may be direct seeded on a prepared seed bed in the fall to early spring at a rate of one pound of seed per acre.  It should be planted no deeper than one inch.  Direct seeding becomes progressively less successful as one moves north, because of competition from annual grasses.

 

For best results with small plantings, the seed should be propagated in flats and the seedlings should be transplanted to gallon cans.  Seedlings can be transplanted to the field in either the spring or fall.

 

Management

This shrub requires good weed control measures, such as hoeing, cultivating, and chemical control during the establishment period.  Elimination of all weed competition on the planting site prior to direct seeding is essential for good stand establishment.  Normally, the spring rains are sufficient to establish seedlings when directly seeded on deep soils.  Potted plants will normally require some summer water depending on the locality.

 

There is some difference of opinion as to whether bladderpod is susceptible to livestock damage.  Generally, damage occurs only when animals are forced onto it by a lack of preferred feed.

 

Pests and Potential Problems

This shrub must have good weed control measures such as hoeing, cultivation, or by chemical control.

 

Seeds and Plant Production

Seed may be collected easily from wild plants by stripping pods from plants and extracting seed.  A limited amount of seed is normally available from the California Department of Fish and Game for wildlife plantings.  Seed is also available from commercial seed collectors.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

‘Dorado’ Cultivar- Dorado grows naturally on the desert soils and prefers a pH of 6.5 or higher.  It is best adapted to the southern part of California up to elevations of 1,220m (4,000 feet), but several successful plantings have been made in the central and northern part of Sacramento Valley.

 

Dorado has shown excellent performance as a conservation plant on critical areas, upland game cover and food, and for environmental enhancement on deep to moderately deep, medium to finely textured soils that are well-drained.

 

References

California Department of Fish and Game/US Soil Conservation Service. 1976. ‘Bladderpod’ wildlife habitat leaflet no. 2. Compiled by Federal Aid Project W-47-R and Upland Game Investigation.

 

USDA NRCS. Notice of Release of ‘Dorado’ Bladderpod. Davis, California

 

Mielke, Judy. 1993.  Native plants for southwestern landscapes. University of Texas Press.

 

Dole, J.W. and B. Rose. 1996. Shrubs and trees of the Southern California deserts. Foot-Loose Press, North Hills, California.

 

Hinton, L. 1975. Notes on La Huerta Diegueno Ethnobotany. Journal of California Anthropology 2:214-222 (p. 217).

 

Prepared By:

Dave Dyer, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Lockeford, and Reina O’Beck. California State Office, Davis, California.

 

Species Coordinator:

Dave Dyer, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Lockeford, California.

 

Edited: 28Mar2005 ro; 23sep05 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>


 

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture 

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