About Dimorphocarpa wislizenii (Engelm.) Rollins
Dimorphocarpa wislizenii is an annual herb that can grow a stem between 10 and 80 centimeters tall, which may be branched or unbranched. Its basal leaves are lance-shaped with toothed or lobed edges, while leaves growing higher on the stem are narrower, with less divided or smooth edges. The flowers bear white or lavender petals that measure 4 to 8 millimeters in length. The mature fruit is a double-lobed, winged silicle that splits in half when mature, with each lobe holding one flat seed 2 to 3 millimeters wide. This plant grows on sandy and sandstone substrates within desert shrubland, pinyon-juniper, and ponderosa pine plant associations. Its seed pods are flat, green, two-lobed capsules that bear a superficial resemblance to spectacles, which gives the species its common name of Spectacle Pod, and this distinct feature makes the plant easy to identify. The Zuni people have several traditional uses for this plant. They apply a warm infusion made from pulverized plant material to swollen areas of the body, particularly swelling of the throat. A decoction prepared from the entire plant is given to treat delirium. Men drink an infusion of the plant to loosen their tongues, so that they may talk like fools and drunken men. The flower and fruit are eaten as an emetic to relieve stomachaches.
