[The Mustard Family East of the Cascade
Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Flatpod, Oldstem Idahoa, Scalepod, Scale Pod
Idahoa scapigera
Synonym: Platyspermum scapigerum
The photo above shows the large disc-shaped fruit of scale pod as seen along the Deschutes River Access Road along the lower Deschutes River downstream from Sherar's Bridge..........March 24, 2007.
The photo at right shows a close-up of the leaf of scale pod as seen from along the Deschutes River Access Road along the lower Deschutes River downstream from Sherar's Bridge.........March 24, 2007.
Characteristics:
Scale pod is a small annual wildflower which is often overlooked except for
the large, oval but flattened fruit capsule (Seen at right.). One to several
leafless scapes rise from a cluster of numerous basal leaves to heights from
3-13 cm. Individual leaves are ovate in shape with entire to pinnatifid margins,
the distal segment much larger than the others if pinnatifid. The blades measure
5-15 mm long while the slender petioles are 1-3 times longer than the blades.
The flowers are solitary atop the leafless scapes and typically hard to see.
The sepals are often red or purple in color and about 1.5-2 mm long. The white
petals are about 1.5-2 mm long. Six stamens are present. The fruits are silicles
which are oblong-oval to nearly orbicular in outline but fairly flattened in
cross-section. The capsules are about 6-12 mm in diameter. While green, the
capsules often have numerous long, parallel markings in red or purple (See photo
at right.).
Habitat:
Scale pod is found on vernally moist ground, usually in the grasslands or amongst
sagebrush from the valleys into the foothills.
Range:
Scale pod is found to the east of the Cascade Mts. from Washington south to
California and east to Idaho and Nevada.
- 
Scale pod blooming at left on scablands along Box Springs Road in the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area.........April 11, 2017. The photo at right shows scale pod atop Tumwater Butte, Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area......April 1, 2022.
Scale pod in bloom about one hundred meters up along the road to the old Klickitat County dump from the Crawford Oaks trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park..........February 18, 2015.
- 
Maturing pods of scale pod as seen on basalt outcrops north upslope from the day use area at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Sherman County, Oregon........March 18, 2016.
- 
Mature fruits of scale pod as observed in vernally moist swales along the Headquarters and Stubblefield Trails at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.......May 8, 2019.
Mature fruits of scalepod observed in a vernally moist swale in scablands on BLM lands along Box Canyon Road, east of the gated trailhead (on Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area lands), north-central Klickitat County, WA.....May 22, 2022.
Scale pod in bloom at Tom McCall Nature Preserve........March 2, 1997.
Paul Slichter