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 5 sta- 

 mens alternate with them are borne on the outside of a large disk. 

 There is i 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 — 

 A joy to gladden thee, indeed : 



This passionate out-flowering of 

 The jewelweed. 

 That now. when days are growing 



As Rummer dreams that she Is 

 old. 

 Hangs out a myriad pleasure-bells 

 Of mottled gold I 



drear, 



Jetcehceed — Florence Earle Coaxes 



189 



