Bladdermallow
Herissantia crispa
Family: Malvaceae
Herbaceous shrub to about 3’ tall. White to yellow flowers in warm weather followed by lantern-like seed capsules that, when dry, fall apart when touched.
Full to part sun, moderate water, hardy to at least 15° F. May need to be cut back periodically.
Nectar-rich flowers. Larval food plant for numerous butterflies, especially skipper species. Expect in particular Arizona Powdered-Skipper (Systasea zampa), the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and the Erichson's White-Skipper (Heliopetes domicella).
There are 5 species of Herissantia native to the tropical and warm temperate Americas. Herissantia is named after Louis Antoine Prosper H_rissant (1745-1769), French physician, naturalist and poet, and crispa comes from Latin meaning "curled or wavy" in reference to the leaves.
Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Herrisantia crispa on iNaturalist
Found on dry slopes, canyons, roadsides, and in desert-scrub communities, to 3,500 ft. in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (and Florida) south into Mexico.
Plants are typically found in very rocky soils, often growing from underneath boulders or out of cracks in rocks, photo by Steve Jones, iNaturalist
These dry lanturn-shaped capsules almost explode when touched, photo by Julian Olvera, iNaturalist