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Staphylea bolanderi

Staphylea bolanderi A. Gray

Sierra Bladdernut, Bolander's Yampah, Bolander's Bladdernut

Staphyleaceae (Bladdernut family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: STBO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Perennial shrub or small tree with deciduous imparipinnate leaves each bearing three ovate leaflets. The plant bears white flowers with stamens extending beyond the petals in the spring. Flowering is soon followed by the development of papery, inflated, bladder-like three-lobed capsules, each lobe containing one or two glossy, nut-like seeds.

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub , Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Pinnate
Leaf Shape: Oval
Leaf Margin: Serrate , Serrulate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Inflorescence: Terminal , Thyrse
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: To about 20 feet in height.
Fruit: Fruit borne summer and fall, persisting into winter.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May

Distribution

USA: CA
Native Distribution: Endemic to Central and Northern California. "� occurs in the foothills and at the lower elevations of the Cascades and Klamath ranges, the Sierra Nevada, and the Tehachapi Mountains." (Webref 3).
Native Habitat: "Chaparral, foothill woodlands, yellow pine forests, slopes, canyon sides; (200�)300�1400 m." (Webref: 3)

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2) , Acidic (pH<6.8) , Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Good ornamental potential, but rarely available in the nurseries.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Propagation usually by seed, though germination is poor.
Seed Collection: When mature in fall or winter.
Seed Treatment: Warm stratification for three months.

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Staphylea bolanderi in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Staphylea bolanderi in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Staphylea bolanderi

Metadata

Record Modified: 2018-11-26
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

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