{"id":238,"date":"2022-01-17T21:09:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T21:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newenglandtrees.net\/?page_id=238"},"modified":"2022-07-17T23:36:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T23:36:04","slug":"american-bladdernutstaphylea-trifolia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/newenglandtrees.net\/?page_id=238","title":{"rendered":"American Bladdernut
Staphylea trifolia<\/em><\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plant Family:<\/strong> Staphyleaceae
Growth Form: <\/strong>Small shrubby tree with dense foliage, 3 to 5 meters tall; spreads by underground rhizomes.
Leaves:<\/strong> 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: <\/strong>Light gray with vertical streaking.
Flowers:<\/strong> White, bell-like, in open drooping clusters, April to June.
Fruits:<\/strong> Greenish-white, three-lobed, inflated capsules, 3 \u2013 5 cm long, held in hanging clusters, inside are the smooth dark seeds; August into winter.
Habitat:<\/strong> Prefers rich, well-drained soil of forest borders, thickets, roadsides; Bladdernut makes an attractive, trouble-free addition to a woodland garden.
Range:<\/strong> Absent from Maine, rare in New Hampshire, more common in western New England; the center of its range is the Midwest.
Similar Species: <\/strong>Hoptree also has trifoliate leaves, but they are alternate on the stems and the fruits are round samaras.
Comments: <\/strong>The flowers attract bees and other pollinators in early spring. Bladdernut is the only member of its family in eastern North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n