# Touristplant (*Dimorphocarpa wislizeni*)

The Touristplant is a special plant that grows in dry places. It has unique seed pods that look like little balloons and can float away in the wind!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Desert

![Touristplant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Dimorphocarpa-wislizeni-BLM-USDI.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dimorphocarpa-wislizeni-BLM-USDI.jpg)

## Appearance

The Touristplant is an upright annual herb with grayish-green leaves and small, four-petaled white to yellow flowers. Its most distinctive feature is the inflated, papery, often purplish, bladder-like seed pods, which are much larger than its tiny flowers.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Brassicales
- **Family:** Brassicaceae
- **Genus:** Dimorphocarpa

## Interesting facts

- Its puffy seed pods look like tiny alien spaceships, floating on the wind!
- Squeeze a dry Touristplant seed pod, and it might make a funny popping sound!
- The scientific name 'Dimorphocarpa' means 'two-shaped fruit,' referring to its unique pods.
- You might see whole families of these plants rolling like a race across the desert!

## Special abilities

- **Wind Wanderer:** Touristplant can detach from its roots and roll across the desert, spreading its seeds far and wide as a tumbleweed.
- **Instant Bloomer:** This plant has the ability to quickly sprout, grow, and flower after desert rains, making the most of fleeting moisture.
- **Pod Parachute:** Touristplant has hollow, inflated seed pods that act like tiny parachutes, helping its seeds catch the wind and travel.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-60 cm
- **Spread:** 15-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to Fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen from flowers
- **Eaten by:** Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (*Dipodomys merriami*) — eats seeds from fallen pods
- **Eaten by:** [Black-tailed Jackrabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-tailed-jackrabbit) (*Lepus californicus*) — browses on young plants and leaves

## Traits

- [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Desert](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/desert): Desert habitats are arid regions characterized by extremely low precipitation and often extreme temperatures, supporting specialized flora and fauna.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch wild plants, as some can be prickly or not safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Touristplant?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Touristplant?

10-60 cm

### How wide does Touristplant spread?

15-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Touristplant?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Touristplant bloom?

Spring to Fall

### Is Touristplant edible?

No

### Is Touristplant toxic?

Mild

### What is Touristplant's lifecycle?

Annual

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Touristplant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/touristplant)