Taxon Report

Physaria kingii (S. Watson) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz ssp. bernardina (Munz) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz

San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Physaria kingii ssp. bernardina, commonly known as San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1850 to 2700 meters. Physaria kingii ssp. bernardina is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Physaria kingii (S. Watson) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz ssp. bernardina (Munz) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz
Common Name:	San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA1N0W1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Lesquerella bernardina Lesquerella kingii (Wats.) Wats ssp. bernardina (Munz) Munz

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jun	May-Jun
Elevation:	1850-2700 (6070-8860)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Carbonate (usually)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	FE
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	11
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	10

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Fawnskin (3411638), Moonridge (3411627), Onyx Peak (3411626)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	45 %
Foot traffic/trampling	3	27%
ORV activity	2	18%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	18%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	18%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	2	18%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	9%
Other	1	9%
Mining	1	9%
Non-native plant impacts	1	9%
Dam/Inundation	1	9%
Development	1	9%

Notes



Known from approximately five occurrences in the Big Bear Valley area. Threatened by development, mining, recreational activities, vegetation/fuel management, and vehicles. See Fremontia 16(1):20-21 (1988) for discussion of mining threats.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 April 2026].