Plant Family: Staphyleaceae
Growth Form: Small shrubby tree with dense foliage, 3 to 5 meters tall; spreads by underground rhizomes.
Leaves: Opposite, compound, with three finely toothed leaflets, each with an abruptly pointed apex; the terminal leaflet long-stalked, lateral leaflets sessile or nearly so.
Bark: Light gray with vertical streaking.
Flowers: White, bell-like, in open drooping clusters, April to June.
Fruits: Greenish-white, three-lobed, inflated capsules, 3 – 5 cm long, held in hanging clusters, inside are the smooth dark seeds; August into winter.
Habitat: Prefers rich, well-drained soil of forest borders, thickets, roadsides; Bladdernut makes an attractive, trouble-free addition to a woodland garden.
Range: Absent from Maine, rare in New Hampshire, more common in western New England; the center of its range is the Midwest.
Similar Species: Hoptree also has trifoliate leaves, but they are alternate on the stems and the fruits are round samaras.
Comments: The flowers attract bees and other pollinators in early spring. Bladdernut is the only member of its family in eastern North America.
