Lacepod
Fringepod
Thysanocarpus curvipes
Photographed in Arizona spring 2008. Laurie as you might guess is an artist. She mostly works with glass, but is keen to see how plants work with cellulose and water. An evolutionary biologist can imagine the adaptive value that the pod morphology might provide this plant, but sometimes one should simply admire the delicate beauty in the Sonoran Desert and ponder.
ANNUAL: A frail, spindly annual mustard emerging in early spring and
withering away under the high heat of late spring. Plants normally less than
½ meter tall.
FRUIT: A flattened disc containing a single seed surrounded by a lacey border.
LEAVES: Leaves are larger and more prominent around base at ground
level, with fewer, smaller leaves along the upright flowering stalk.
RANGE: Frequent throughout the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico on
rocky slopes and wash banks, however, the plant will not be found except after
winter seasons with adequate rainfall.
FLOWERS: Small white flowers with the usual mustard morphology: 4
sepals, 4 petals and 4 + 2 stamens.
UNARMED. No spines or stickers.