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Staphylea holocarpa

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
staf-FEE-lee-ah ho-loh-KAR-puh
Description

Staphylea holocarpa, or Chinese Bladdernut, is a deciduous, perennial, large shrub (at a maximum height of 25 feet, it could be considered a small tree). The plant is native to Tibet and China and is often found in moist, mixed forests and shady ravines. Chinese Bladdernut tolerates a wide range of soils, but it prefers a rich loamy soil in a full sun or semi-shade. The plant is not very cold-hardy and does best in milder climates. The plant flowers best in years that follow hot summers.

S. holocarpa ranks alongside S. colchica for garden-worthiness, with plants bearing long panicles of flowers from an early age and when in full flower a large plant is spectacular. It can sucker, affording easy propagation material, but it can also be trained into the form of a small tree.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:

No known issues with this plant. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shrub#deciduous shrub#flowering shrub#perennial
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#shrub#deciduous shrub#flowering shrub#perennial
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Staphylea
    Species:
    holocarpa
    Family:
    Staphyleaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Root Cutting
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Tibet to Central & Southern China
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Perennial
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Broad
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Description:
    1.5 to 2 inch capsule. Capsule inflated to pear-shape, base narrow, apex truncate with 3 openings. Seeds shining brown.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Inflorescence displays as a broad, 4 inch long, pendulous panicle, flowering before the leaves have fully emerged. Half-inch flowers of white or soft rosy-pink that bloom in May and June.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Lanceolate
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are trifoliolate, mid-green above and paler beneath, sometimes emerging with a bronze flush. Lateral leaflets are subsessile, 1.5 inch petiolule of terminal leaflet; 4 inch leaflets, glabrous or densely pubescent on lower surface when young and pubescent along veins when mature, margin serrulate with hard teeth, apex narrowly acuminate.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Slope/Bank
    Design Feature:
    Barrier
    Small Tree