NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Staphylea trifolia

Bladdernut, American Bladdernut

Scientific Name:	Staphylea trifolia
Genus:	Staphylea
Species Epithet:	trifolia
Common Name:	Bladdernut, American Bladdernut
Plant Type	Shrub
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Staphyleaceae (Bladdernut Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	6-12 ft., 12-36 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	White, Green
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	April, May
Growing Area:	Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Nutrient-rich bottomland forests, extending upslope over calcareous or mafic rocks. Fairly common in central NC Piedmont, and locallly common near the Roanoke and Cape Fear rivers in the Coastal Plain but absent in most other parts of the Coastal Plain. Uncommon in the w. Piedmont and very rare in the NC Mountains.
Leaf Arrangement:	Opposite
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Compound
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Has some wildlife value
Landscape Value:	Suitable for home landscapes
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	Unusual 3-lobed seed pods, initially yellow and fading to brown.
Large shrub with trifoliate, opposite leaves. McCormick County, SC Larry Mellichamp
Fruit is a papery pod with one seed per sac. Mecklenburg County, NC Larry Mellichamp
Some remaining pods still on the shrub in January. Confluence Natural Area, Orange Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/plant_list.php https://nc.audubon.org/conservation/bird-friendly-communities/bird-friendly-native-plants https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/staphylea-trifolia/ https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/staphylea/trifolia/