Flower profile
Touristplant
Dimorphocarpa wislizeni
Touristplant (Dimorphocarpa wislizeni) is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.
Touristplant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In New Mexico it's most often seen in bloom in March–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: New Mexico
Quick look
Dimorphocarpa wislizeni, commonly known as spectacle pod, Wislizeni's spectaclepod, and touristplant, is a flowering plant in the mustard family native to western North America, where it occurs in the southwestern United States as far east as Oklahoma and Texas, and Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila in Mexico.
- It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 6 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to New Mexico. NatureServe
- In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,374 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #28 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In New Mexico, most flowering sightings come in March–July.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- New Mexico
- Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2), NV (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
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), USDA PLANTS) 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 records touristplant in 6 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.
New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Chaves, Cibola, Curry, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, McKinley, Otero, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Valencia.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Dithyrea griffithsii, Dithyrea wislizeni.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 49 counties across 6 states; the most are in New Mexico (21), Arizona (10), Texas (7).
More from the Brassicaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, Cut-leaved toothwort, Wild radish, Milkmaids, Annual honesty, Western wallflower, Hoary alyssum.
More New Mexico flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DIWI2.
- iNaturalist, Dimorphocarpa wislizeni: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Dimorphocarpa wislizeni (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
- New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Dimorphocarpa wislizeni (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Elliott Gordon via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.