STAPHYLEACEAE BLADDER NUT FAMILY 
AMERICAN BLADDER NUT 
Staphylea trifolia L. 
The Bladder Nut family is small and unimportant. 
Most of its members occur in Asia, this species alone 
being found in Illinois. 
The American Bladder 
Nut is a shrub 3-12 feet 
high, which occurs from 
eastern Canada and the 
New England states to 
Minnesota and south to 
Missouri and South Car- 
olina. Although found 
throughout Illinois it is 
not common, occurring 
locally on slopes and banks 
and occasionally in low 
forest places. It is easily 
propagated from seeds or 
cuttings and could profit- 
ably be used for ornamen- 
tal planting much more 
extensively than it is. 
The perfect flowers 
appear in April or May. 
The deeply 5-parted calyx is greenish white or sometimes pinkish, 
and persists on the fruit. There are 5 white petals, and § sta- 
mens alternate with them are borne on the outside of a large disk. 
There is 1 pistil with a 3-lobed and 3-celled ovary. 
The fruit, maturing in September or October, is a 3-lobed 
capsule which is hairy when young but smooth when mature. 
At maturity it opens at the top and the cells split along the inner 
side. There are usually 1-4 bony seeds, which are light brown, 
smooth and about the size of peas. 
But here’s a magic cometh new— As Summer dreams that she is 
A joy to gladden thee, indeed : old, 
This passionate out-flowering of Hangs out a myriad pleasure-bells 
The jewelweed. ; Of mottled gold! 
That now, when days are growing 
drear, Jeweluw'eed—FLORENCE EARLE COATES 
189 
