Physaria fendleri facts for kids

Physaria fendleri is a special flowering plant also known as Fendler's bladderpod, popweed, or lesquerella. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which includes plants like cabbage and mustard. This plant is super interesting because of the unique oil found in its seeds!

Where it Grows

This amazing plant naturally grows in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It loves warm, dry places!

People also grow Physaria fendleri in these areas. It grows best in their climate and in calcium-rich soils. It doesn't need much irrigation (watering) because it's used to living in dry areas.

What it Looks Like

In nature, Physaria fendleri is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. When people grow it, they often plant it as a winter annual. This means it grows, flowers, and produces seeds all in one cool season.

The plant makes small, hairless seed pods called siliques. Each pod holds about 6 to 25 seeds.

Amazing Uses

Physaria fendleri is best known for its special oil, called bladderpod oil. Most Physaria plants have a unique hydroxy acid called lesquerolic acid in their oil. About 24% of the seed is made of this oil!

This oil can be used instead of castor oil for some things. This is because it can form special compounds called estolides. If more people grow this plant, its oil could be used in many industries. These include cosmetics (like makeup), coatings (like paint), plastics, and lubricants (like oil for machines).

One challenge is that the oil has a reddish-brown color. This makes it less useful for some products that need clear or pale yellow oil. But scientists are working to breed plants that produce lighter-colored oil. They are also trying to make the plant easier to grow in different climates. They want to control pollination better and help it grow in more types of soil.

The plant has other cool uses too! The outer layer of the seed contains a useful natural gum. This gum might be used as a food additive, similar to xanthan gum. Also, what's left of the plant after the oil is taken out is high in protein. It has similar amino acids to soybeans. This means it could be a good fodder (food) for animals.