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American bladdernut, staphylier à trois folioles

Habit 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

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

obovoid, 3–5 cm.

2n

= 72.

Staphylea trifolia

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Deciduous forests, often humid, often at bases of rocky slopes, floodplain woods, thickets, stream banks
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
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
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Discussion

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.
Parent taxa Staphyleaceae > Staphylea
Sibling taxa
S. bolanderi
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 270. (1753)
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