STAPELIA 



vaal. B.M. 8561. S. longipedicettata, N. E. Br. (S. kwebensis var. 

 longipedicellata, Berger). Sts. clustered, erect, 4-6 in. high: corolla 

 1 }^-l ?i in. across, tube short, purplish, lobes blackish. Trqp. Afr. 

 S. luxuriant, Dammann. Hybrid: corolla about 3 in. diam., not 

 ciliate, entirely dark purple-brown. S. mdgna, Berger. Hybrid: 

 corolla dark brown, with yellowish markings, with violet-red curled 

 hairs. S. Pldntii, Hort. Sts. stout and erect: corolla about 5 m. 

 diam., hairy, brown barred with yellow, lobes margined with brown- 

 purple. S. Afr. B.M. 5692. F.S. 19:2012. S. partx-taunme is 

 offered in the German trade. S. piitida, Berger. Hybrid: ste. 

 1 >2-2 in. high: corolla-lobes yellowish with large purple-brown 

 spots and a red line along the margin, not ciliate. S. rectifldra, 

 Ruest. Hybrid: corolla about 2 in. diam. with a shallow cup-like 

 disk and spreading sulfur-yellow lobes, with rounded and not very 

 numerous purple-brown spots often confluent in longitudinal rows. 

 S. ScWnzii, Berger & Schlecht., is offered in the German trade. 



F. TRACY HUBBARD.! 



STAPHYLEA (Greek, staphyle, cluster, referring to 

 the inflorescence). Staphyleaceae, formerly referred to 

 the Celastracese. BLADDER-NUT. Ornamental woody 

 plants chiefly grown for their attractive white flowers 

 and for their handsome foliage, and also for the inflated 

 pod-like fruit. 



Deciduous shrubs or small trees, with smooth striped 

 bark: Ivs. opposite, 3-7-foh"olate; Ifts. serrulate, like the 

 Ivs. stipulate: fls. perfect, 5-merous in terminal pani- 

 cles; sepals and petals 5, of about the same length, 

 upright; stamens 5; pistils 2-3, usually connate below: 

 fr. a 2-3-lobed, inflated, membranous caps., with 1 or 

 few subglobpse rather large, bony seeds in each cell. 

 Eleven species in the temperate regions of the northern 

 hemisphere. 



The bladder-nuts are upright shrubs or small trees 

 with handsome bright or light green foliage and orna- 

 mental white or pinkish flowers in nodding clusters fol- 

 lowed by bladder-like fruits conspicuous by their size 

 and pale green color. The species are all inhabitants 

 of temperate regions, and S. trifolia, S. Bumalda and 

 S. pinnata are hardy North, while S. colchica, S. 

 Bolanderi, and S. holocarpa are hardy at least as far 

 north as Massachusetts; S. emodi is more tender and 

 seems not to be in cultivation in this country. They are 

 all desirable shrubs and flower in early summer after 

 the leaves except S. holocarpa which blooms in spring 

 before or with the leaves. They are well adapted for 

 shrubberies, but all except S. Bumalda are table to 

 become bare and unsightly at the base and are therefore 

 not to be recommended for single specimens. S. holo- 

 carpa is perhaps the most beautiful species in bloom; 

 also S. elegans, S. colchica, and S. Bumalda have very 

 handsome flowers. S. colchica blooms at an early age 

 and is sometimes forced, but S. holocarpa is probably 

 even better adapted for that purpose. Staphyleas grow 

 well in almost any kind of soil and position, but do best 

 in a somewhat moist rich earth and partly shaded situ- 

 ation. They are always interesting although not showy. 

 Propagation is by seeds, layers, and suckers. Green- 

 wood cuttings from forced plants root readily. 



A. Lvs. 5-7-foliolate, only occasionally 3-foliolate: panir 



des stalked. 



B. Panicle raceme-like, oblong, pendulous: fl.-buds sub- 

 globose. 



pinnata, Linn. Upright shrub, attaining 15 ft., some- 

 times tree-like : Ifts. 5-7, ovate-oblong, long-acuminate, 

 sharply and finely serrate, glabrous and glaucescent 

 beneath, 2-3 in. long: panicles 2-5 in. long, on peduncles 

 about 2 in. long: sepals oval, whitish, greenish at the 

 base, reddish at the apex, about as long as the oblong 

 petals: caps. 2-3-lobed, much inflated, subglobose, 

 about 1 in. long. May, June. Eu. to W. Asia. Gn. 

 34, p. 280. G. 4:473. H.W. 3, p. 52. 



BB. Panicle broad, upright or nodding: fl.-buds obovate- 

 oblong. 



colchica, Stev. (Hoibrenkiaformosa, Hort.). Upright 

 shrub, attaining 12 ft.: Ifts. usually 5, sometimes 3, 

 oblong-ovate, acuminate, sharply serrate, glabrous and 

 pale green beneath, 2-3 in. long: panicle 2-3 in. long 



STAPHYLEA 



3227 



and almost as broad, on a peduncle 2-3 in. long: sepals 

 narrow-oblong, spreading, yellowish white; petals linear- 

 spatulate, white: caps, obovate, much inflated, lJ^-2 

 in. long. May, June. Caucasus. B.M. 7383. R.H. 

 1870, p. 257. J.H. III. 34:183. F. 1879, p. 123. G.C. 

 11.11:117; 111.2:713; 10:161. A.G. 18:423. Gt. 

 24: 837; 37, p. 501. Gn. 34, p. 281; 76, p. 171. G. 2:323; 

 26:115 (forced plant); 27:170. G.M. 55:215. Gn.W. 

 5:49; 23:57. F.E. 23:585. Var. Coulombieri, Zabel 

 (S. Coulombieri, Andre) . Of more vigorous growth, with 

 denser foliage : Ivs. larger and longer-stalked ; Ifts. long- 

 acuminate : stamens glabrous: caps. 2-4 in. long, spread- 

 ing at the apex. 



AA. Lvs. 3-foliolate. 



B. Middle Ift. short-stalked, stalk Y^in. or less long: pani- 

 cle sessile. 



Bumalda, DC. Shrub, 6 ft. high, with upright and 

 spreading slender branches: Ifts. broadly oval to ovate, 

 shortly acuminate, crenately serrate, with awned teeth, 

 light green, almost glabrous, \ 1 A-2 1 A in. long: fls. about 

 J^in. long, in loose, erect panicles 2-3 in. long; sepals 

 yellowish white, little shorter than the white petals: 

 caps, usually 2-lobed, somewhat compressed, %-l in. 

 long. June. Japan. S.Z. 1:95. 



BB. Middle Ift. slender-stalked: panicles stalked. 



c. Fls. after the Ivs. 



trifdlia, Linn. AMERICAN BLADDER-NUT. Fig. 3680. 

 Upright shrub, with rather stout branches, 6-15 ft. high : 



Ifts. oval to ovate, 

 acuminate, finely 

 and sharply ser- 

 rate, slightly 

 pubescent beneath 

 or almost gla- 

 brous, 1 J^-3 in. 

 long: fls. about 

 H m - long, in nod- 

 ding panicles or 

 umbel-like ra- 

 cemes; sepals 

 greenish white, 

 petals white : caps, 

 much inflated, 

 usually 3-lobed, 

 1H~2 in. long. 

 April, May. Que. to Ont. and Minn., south to S. C. and 

 Mo. Gt. 37, p. 529. Var. paucifldra, Zabel. Low and 

 suckering: Ifts. smaller, broader, glabrous at length: fls. 

 in short, 3-8-fld. racemes: fr. often 2-lobed, 1 1 A~1 1 A 

 in. long. 



Bdlanderi, Gray. Fig. 3681. Shrub :lfts. broadly oval 

 or almost orbicular, acute, sharply serrulate, glabrous, 

 2-3 in. long: fls. in many-fld. nodding panicles; stamens 

 and styles exserted: fr. 3-lobed, much inflated, 2-2 K 

 in. long. Calif., in the Sierra Nevada region. G.F. 2 : 545 

 (adapted in Fig. 3681). R.H. 1910, p. 305. A rare 

 shrub, probably not regularly in cult. 



cc. Fls. before the Ivs. 



holocarpa, Hemsl. Shrub or small tree, to 25 ft. : Ifts. 

 3, oval to ovate-oblong, short-acuminate, serrulate, pale 

 and reticulate and glabrous or nearly so beneath, 2-4 in. 

 long: fls. white or pinkish, nearly Hin. long, in pendu- 

 lous slender-stalked panicles 1-4 in. long, axillary on 

 last year's branchlets: fr. pear-shaped or ellipsoid, 

 abruptly acuminate or sometimes lobed at the apex, 

 lMj-2 in. long; seeds light grayish brown, lustrous, ^in. 

 long. Cent. China. Very floriferous and handsome. 

 The name has been misspelled S. lobocarpa. Var. rdsea, 

 Rehd. & Wilson. Lfts. whitish tomentose beneath while 

 young, later villous along the midrib beneath only: fls. 

 pink, H m - long. Cent. China. 



S. elegans, Zabel. Intermediate between and supposed to be a 

 hybrid of S. pinnata and S. colchica: Ifts. usually 5: panicles very 



3680. Staphylea trifolia. (Xji) 



