Staphylea, called bladdernuts,
They are large , occasionally small trees, growing to 2–5 m tall. The leaves are deciduous, arranged in opposite pairs, and pinnate, usually with three leaflets, but in S. pinnata and in S. colchica. The flowers are produced in drooping terminal 5–10 cm long, with 5–15 flowers on each panicle; the individual flowers are about 1 cm long, with the five and similar in size and in their white or pale pink colour. The fruit is an inflated papery two- or three-lobed capsule 3–10 cm long, containing a few small nut-like seeds.
Species
Plants of the World Online currently includes:
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Staphylea affinis (Merr. & L.M.Perry) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea arguta (Seem.) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea bolanderi A.Gray – Sierra bladdernut. Western North America.
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Staphylea bumalda DC. – Japanese bladdernut. Eastern Asia.
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Staphylea campanulata J.Wen
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Staphylea cochinchinensis (Lour.) Byng & Christenh. - Nepal to S. China and Indo-China.
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Staphylea colchica Steven – Colchis bladdernut, jonjoli. Eastern Europe.
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Staphylea emodi Wall. ex Brandis – Himalayan bladdernut. Himalaya.
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Staphylea formosana (Nakai) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea forrestii Balf.f. – China.
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Staphylea holocarpa Hemsl. – China.
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Staphylea indochinensis (Merr.) Byng & Christenh. - S. China, N. Vietnam
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Staphylea insignis (Tul.) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea japonica (Thunb.) Mabb.
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Staphylea macrosperma (C.C.Huang) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea megaphylla (Tul.) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea pinnata L. – European bladdernut. Europe.
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Staphylea pringlei S.Watson – Mexico.
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Staphylea shweliensis W.W.Sm. – China.
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Staphylea subsessilifolia (C.Y.Wu) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea ternata (Nakai) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea tricornuta (Lundell) Byng & Christenh.
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Staphylea trifolia L. – American bladdernut. Eastern North America.
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Staphylea yuanjiangensis K.M.Feng & T.Z.Hsu
Some botany previously included the closely related genus Turpinia in Staphylea.
Cultivation and uses
Several species are grown as
for their flowers and peculiar bladder-like fruit. The popular
Staphylea × elegans is a hybrid of unknown origin, probably between
S. colchica and
S. pinnata. The pickled flowers can be served as a side dish in
Georgian cuisine.
External links
