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Plant Profile

Kodachrome Bladderpod (Physaria tumulosa)

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Brassicaceae
State: UT
Nature Serve ID: 140684
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 01/08/2024

Description:

Kodachrome bladderpod is a small but charming perennial herbaceous plant that forms as a dense rounded clump 4 cm tall. Its leaves are between 1 and 10 mm in length, and only about 1 mm wide. They are covered in fine hairs arranged in a star-shaped pattern. The tiny yellow flowers of Kodachrome bladderpod have petals 5 to 7 mm long that are spatula-shaped. The fruit is an ovoid (resembles an egg) and densely covers the plant. The length of the fruit is about 3 mm, with 2 to 4 seeds in each. Plants can usually be seen flowering beginning in late April and continuing through May, with seed dispersal occurring in June. Although the species was threatened by energy and mineral extraction activities, with the creation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in 1996, those activities are no longer considered a threat (USFWS 2009, Natureserve 2013). The largest threat to the species currently is illegal OHV use because the plants occupy barren rolling hills, which are easily accessed from the main road and are sought out by OHV recreationists (USFWS 2009).

Where is Kodachrome Bladderpod (Physaria tumulosa) located in the wild?

States & Provinces:

Kodachrome Bladderpod can be found in Utah

Which CPC Partners conserve Kodachrome Bladderpod (Physaria tumulosa)?

Red Butte Garden and Arboretum

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 01/08/24

National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (USDA-ARS)

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 01/08/24

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

01/08/2024

Red Butte Garden has sent at least 2,900 wild-collected seeds of Physaria tumulosa to the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation for long term storage.

Tina Stanley

01/08/2024

Between 1993 and 2014, Red Butte Garden staff made 4 wild seed collections representing more than 5,500 seeds from 172 individuals of Physaria tumulosa. Over 2,400 of these seeds are held in long term storage at Red Butte Garden. In addition to these seed collections, 11 individuals are held as living specimens at Red Butte Garden.