The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

bladdernut, Sierra bladdernut

American bladdernut, staphylier à trois folioles

Habit Plants 2–6 m. Leaves: leaflet blades widely ovate to widely elliptic or ± round, (2–)2.5–8(–15) cm, margins crenulate-serrulate, apex short-acuminate to apiculate, glabrous. Plants suckering, 2–4(–5) m. Leaves: leaflet blades elliptic to widely obovate, 4.5–13 cm, margins serrulate to serrate, apex acuminate, abaxial surfaces ± villous, densely when young, adaxial glabrous or sparsely hairy.
Flowers

cylindro-campanulate;

sepals white, 5–7(–9) mm;

petals narrowly oblong or oblanceolate, 7–8(–12) mm, apex not recurved;

filaments exserted, 9–10(–15) mm, longer than petals, glabrous;

pistils glabrous, styles equal to or surpassing stamens.

campanulate;

sepals pale greenish, greenish pink to pale pink to whitish, 4–7 mm;

petals spatulate, 6–8 mm, apex recurved;

filaments not or barely exserted, 6–8 mm, equal to or slightly longer than petals, basally villous;

pistils villous, styles ± equal to stamens.

Capsules

ellipsoid, (2.5–)3.5–4(–5.5) cm.

obovoid, 3–5 cm.

2n

= 72.

Staphylea bolanderi

Staphylea trifolia

Phenology Flowering Mar–May. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Chaparral, foothill woodlands, yellow pine forests, slopes, canyon sides Deciduous forests, often humid, often at bases of rocky slopes, floodplain woods, thickets, stream banks
Elevation (200–)300–1400 m ((700–)1000–4600 ft) 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Staphylea bolanderi occurs in the foothills and at the lower elevations of the Cascades and Klamath ranges, the Sierra Nevada, and the Tehachapi Mountains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Leaves of Staphylea trifolia are sometimes 5-foliolate.

The relationship of Staphylea trifolia with the northern Mexican S. pringlei S. Watson remains to be determined.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 8. FNA vol. 9, p. 8.
Parent taxa Staphyleaceae > Staphylea Staphyleaceae > Staphylea
Sibling taxa
S. trifolia
S. bolanderi
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 69. (1874) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 270. (1753)
Web links