216 SOAPBERRY FAMILY 



erect, petals 5, erect, spatulate, pistil consisting of from 3-several carpels, 

 styles slightly cohering; fruit a 3-lobed, inflated capsule, dehiscent at the 

 summit, seeds hard and globose. 



A genus of about six species of the north temperate zone. One other 

 species besides the following occurs in California. 



Staphylea trifolia Linne 1753 American Bladdernut 



A shrub 1-3 m. high, with grayish bark, branches greenish and striped; 

 leaves long-petioled, trifoliate, leaflets ovate to obovate, narrowed at the 

 base, acuminate at the apex, finely serrate, smooth above, pubescent at 

 least along the veins beneath, 4-10 cm. long, 2-6 cm. broad, the terminal 

 leaflet slightly larger than the two lateral ones; racemes 3-6 cm. long, 

 flowers 8-10 mm. long; fruit an inflated capsule, 3-6 cm. long, 2-3 cm. in 

 diameter : trifolia, three-leaved. 



Frequent in moist thickets and ravines in the southern part of the 

 state, as far north as White Bear Lake and west as far as New Ulm. Dis- 

 tributed from western Quebec and western New England, west to Minn. 

 and south to South Carolina and Mo. Blossoms in May, fruit ripe July- 

 Aug. 



Sapindaceae Soapberry Family 



Trees or shrubs, rarely herbaceous plants, with watery sap ; leaves al- 

 ternate, or more rarely opposite, pinnately or palmately compound, with- 

 out stipules ; flowers polygamo-dioecious, regular or more commonly irreg- 

 ular, calyx-lobes 4-5, imbricated, petals 3-5, disk fleshy, stamens 5-10. 

 rarely more numerous, usually inserted on the disk, ovary 2-4-celled, 

 ovules 1 or more in each cavity; fruit various. 



A large family of mostly tropical species. 



Aesculus Linne 1753 Horse-chestnut Buckeye 



Trees or shrubs with opposite, digitately compound leaves, leaflets ser- 

 rate and straight-veined ; flowers in a terminal panicle, often polygamous, 

 most of them with imperfect pistils, calyx tubular, 5-lobed often gibbous 

 at the base, petals 4-5, unequal, stamens 8-10, (mostly 7), unequal in 

 length, ovary 3-celled, style 1, ovules 2 in each cavity of the ovary, fruit 

 a leathery capsule, 3-valved, 3-seeded, or frequently only 1 -seeded, seeds 

 very large with thick shining coat and a large scar, cotyledons verj 

 thick and fleshy. 



A genus of about 15 species natives of America and Asia. 



