Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

A small desert shrub of the southwestern US known for its bright yellow flowers and distinctive inflated, papery seed pods that rattle when dry. Despite its species name, it grows more like a woody bush than a tree, thriving in arid scrubland and sandy washes.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Brassicales

Family

Cleomaceae

Genus

Cleomella

Species

Cleomella arborea