Lesquerella fendleri
Encyclopedia
Lesquerella fendleri is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by several common names, including Fendler's bladderpod, yellowtop, and, simply, lesquerella. It is best known as the richest source of bladderpod oil
. Most Lesquerella
species contain the hydroxy acid
lesquerolic acid
in their oil with a seed oil content of ~24%. This oil is useful as a replacement for castor oil
in some applications. If the plant becomes more widely cultivated and breeding and refinement techniques are improved, the oil could be used in a number of industries, including cosmetics
, coating
s, plastic
s, and lubricant
s. One obstacle to use is the oil's reddish-brown color, which makes it less valuable for certain applications than the colorless or pale yellow castor oil. Breeding may reduce the pigment load of the lesquerella's oils over time. Breeding may also favor other characteristics in lesquerella, such as its capacity for cultivation in other climates, male sterility to allow better control of pollination
, and tolerance for a wider array of soil
types.
The plant has uses beyond its oil. The seed coat
of L. fendleri also contains a useful natural gum
which might be viable as a food additive similar to xanthan gum
. The mash is high in protein
, and has a similar proportion of various amino acid
s to the soybean
. It may prove to be a good animal fodder
.
It is native to the southwestern United States
and northern Mexico
. It is also cultivated in this area, as it does best in the climate of the region and in local calcareous
soils. Lesquerella requires less irrigation
than many other crops, due to its adaptation to life in an arid
region.
Lesquerella fendleri is a perennial plant
in nature, but which is cultivated as a winter annual
. It produces hairless capsules called silique
s which contain 6 to 25 seeds each.
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
known by several common names, including Fendler's bladderpod, yellowtop, and, simply, lesquerella. It is best known as the richest source of bladderpod oil
Bladderpod oil
Bladderpod oil is a seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the Lesquerella fendleri and other species of genus Lesquerella, Native to the plains and mesas of southwestern United States, eastward to Kansas and southward into northern Mexico. Bladderpod oil is rich in lesquerolic acid which is a...
. Most Lesquerella
Lesquerella
Lesquerella is a genus of flowering plants in the familyBrassicaceae. Some are referred to by the common name Bladderpod and bladderpod oil is extracted from the seeds of Lesquerella fendleri and certain other species in the genus....
species contain the hydroxy acid
Alpha hydroxy acid
α-Hydroxy acids, or alpha hydroxy acids , are a class of chemical compounds that consist of a carboxylic acid substituted with a hydroxyl group on the adjacent carbon. They may be either naturally occurring or synthetic. AHAs are well-known for their use in the cosmetics industry...
lesquerolic acid
Lesquerolic acid
Lesquerolic acid is a hydroxy acid that occurs naturally in Lesquerella lasiocarpa and other Lesquerella species. It was first isolated in 1961 by a team from the Northern Regional Research Laboratory. This compound has the R configuration at the alcohol-bearing stereocenter, and it is of the Z...
in their oil with a seed oil content of ~24%. This oil is useful as a replacement for castor oil
Castor oil
Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean . Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste. Its boiling point is and its density is 961 kg/m3...
in some applications. If the plant becomes more widely cultivated and breeding and refinement techniques are improved, the oil could be used in a number of industries, including cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
, coating
Coating
Coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. In many cases coatings are applied to improve surface properties of the substrate, such as appearance, adhesion, wetability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and scratch resistance...
s, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s, and lubricant
Lubricant
A lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between moving surfaces. It may also have the function of transporting foreign particles and of distributing heat...
s. One obstacle to use is the oil's reddish-brown color, which makes it less valuable for certain applications than the colorless or pale yellow castor oil. Breeding may reduce the pigment load of the lesquerella's oils over time. Breeding may also favor other characteristics in lesquerella, such as its capacity for cultivation in other climates, male sterility to allow better control of pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
, and tolerance for a wider array of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
types.
The plant has uses beyond its oil. The seed coat
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
of L. fendleri also contains a useful natural gum
Natural gum
Natural gums are polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large viscosity increase in solution, even at small concentrations. In the food industry they are used as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers...
which might be viable as a food additive similar to xanthan gum
Xanthan gum
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheology modifier, commonly used as a food thickening agent and a stabilizer...
. The mash is high in protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
, and has a similar proportion of various amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s to the soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
. It may prove to be a good animal fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
.
It is native to the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is also cultivated in this area, as it does best in the climate of the region and in local calcareous
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
soils. Lesquerella requires less irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
than many other crops, due to its adaptation to life in an arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
region.
Lesquerella fendleri is a perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
in nature, but which is cultivated as a winter annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
. It produces hairless capsules called silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
s which contain 6 to 25 seeds each.