Staphylea bolanderi
Encyclopedia
Staphylea bolanderi is a species of bladdernut
known by the common name Sierra bladdernut. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in the Sierra Nevada and mountain ranges to the north, including the southernmost slopes of the Cascade Range
and the Klamath Mountains
. It is a shrub
or small tree
growing two to six meters tall. The deciduous
leaves are each made up of three round or oval leaflets with toothed edges, each leaflet measuring up to 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a panicle
of flowers drooping on long pedicels
. The flower has five white petals within five snow white sepal
s, and a cluster of five stamen
s protruding from the mouth. The fruit is an inflated, bladderlike capsule up to 5 centimeters long containing smooth brown seeds.
Bladdernut
Staphylea is a small genus of 10 or 11 species of flowering plants in the family Staphyleaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The highest species diversity is in China, where four species occur....
known by the common name Sierra bladdernut. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the Sierra Nevada and mountain ranges to the north, including the southernmost slopes of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
. It is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing two to six meters tall. The deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
leaves are each made up of three round or oval leaflets with toothed edges, each leaflet measuring up to 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
of flowers drooping on long pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flower has five white petals within five snow white sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s, and a cluster of five stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s protruding from the mouth. The fruit is an inflated, bladderlike capsule up to 5 centimeters long containing smooth brown seeds.