Flower profile
Bladderpod
Cleomella arborea
Bladderpod (Cleomella arborea) is a flowering plant in the Cleomaceae family, blooming mostly January–December across the U.S.
Bladderpod is a flowering plant. In California it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Cleomella arborea is a perennial shrub or bush in the spiderflower family (Cleomaceae) known by the common names bladderpod, bladderpod spiderflower, and burro-fat. It grows up to 0.5 - 2 meters high. It stems are densely branching and covered in tiny hairs. Leaves are typically composed of three equal leaflets, 15-45mm long, oval to elliptic, and pointed.
- It belongs to the Cleomaceae family. iNaturalist
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 16,398 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #41 among the 178 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe
- Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.
Names, range and relatives
Other Cleomella on Bloomipedia (1): Rocky Mountain beeplant.
More from the Cleomaceae family (2 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Redwhisker clammyweed.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
- iNaturalist, Cleomella arborea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Cleomella arborea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Henrik Kibak via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.