Staphylea - Bladdernut: Planting and Cultivation

Botany and description

The genus Staphylea includes about ten species of trees, shrubs or bushes found in the humid undergrowth of the northern hemisphere. Staphyleas belong to the Staphyleaceae family.

Among these species, you will find Staphylea x elegans, Staphylea holocarpa, Staphylea bumalda, Staphylea bolanderi, but the three most well-known and cultivated species are: Staphylea pinnata (native to Central Europe as far as Alsace and the Jura), Staphylea trifolia (native to the eastern United States), and Staphylea colchica (native to the Caucasus).

Staphylea colchica botanical plate

The genus name “Staphylea” comes from the Greek “staphyl,” meaning “bunch of grapes,” referring to the cluster-like shape of the inflorescences. Staphyleas are characterised by opposite, compound leaves with 3 to 7 leaflets, as well as white or pink paniculate flowering and an original, persistent fruiting that lasts all winter.

Staphyleas generally have a slender, well-branched silhouette, reaching 3 to 4 m in height (slightly more for Staphylea trifolia). Growth is rapid. The bark is initially smooth, grey-green in colour, lightly streaked with white and dotted with lenticels, but over time, it cracks and ages beautifully. Staphyleas benefit from being pruned to allow some of the bark to show through.

The foliage is deciduous, glossy green in colour, turning yellow in autumn before falling. The leaves are opposite and divided into 3 leaflets in Staphylea trifolia (Three-leaf Staphylea) or 5 leaflets in Staphylea colchica (Colchis Staphylea) and Staphylea pinnata (Pinnate Staphylea). Each leaflet, ovate and acuminate, is delicately and finely toothed. The compound leaf is attached by a petiole surrounded by small bracts. Some cultivars feature very dark foliage, almost black, like the Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’ or changing, like the Staphylea colchica ‘Black Jack’, whose foliage transitions from green to deep red and finally orange in autumn.

Left, Staphylea trifolia (© gailhampshire), top right Staphylea pinnata, and bottom right Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’

Flowering occurs in spring between April and May. It consists of clusters (racemes) of small white bell-shaped flowers (like campanulas), hanging from long peduncles. The flowers are nectariferous and melliferous, emitting a fragrance that blends coconut, almond, and orange blossom. Note that there is a pink-flowered Staphylea: Staphylea holocarpa var. rosea (though good luck finding it in the trade!).

Fruiting is unique in false pistachios. They produce vesicular, trigonous capsules tapering to a point. The colour of these capsules changes from pinkish-beige to greenish, eventually turning rusty in winter. The fruits ripen between September and October and remain on the bush for a long time, even after the leaves have fallen. Each capsule contains 1 to 4 seeds, edible once roasted, similar to pistachios.

Note: Staphylea pinnata has been protected in Alsace since 1993, where it is considered a native species.

Staphylea colchica, Staphylea holocarpa ‘Rosea’, and fruiting of Staphylea pinnata

Our most beautiful varieties

Staphylea colchica

Staphylea colchica is a fast-growing bush, perfectly hardy, offering in spring a lovely white flowering, delicately scented, prolonged until the end of autumn by fruits as curious as they are decorative.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 3 m

See the product sheet

Staphylea colchica Black Jack

Staphylea colchica 'Black Jack' is a variety of False pistachio with exceptional ornamental value. Its leaves turn to a very dark, almost black red in summer. Its spring flowering in large, deliciously scented pearly white panicles is followed by curious swollen fruits that remain decorative until winter.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 3,50 m

See the product sheet

Staphylea colchica Black Beauty

Staphylea colchica 'Black Beauty' is a variety of False pistachio distinguished by its glossy foliage coloured in chocolate purple, offering a beautiful contrast between the dark colour of its vegetation and its white spring flowering.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 3,25 m

See the product sheet

Staphylea pinnata

Staphylea pinnata, also called False pistachio because its seeds are traditionally consumed like pistachios, is a small tree native to our region. It is perfectly adapted to our cold climates and heavy, calcareous soils.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 4 m

See the product sheet

Planting Staphylea

Where to Plant?

Staphyleas should be planted in full sun or partial shade.

The soil should be deep, fertile, and remain moist but well-drained. Although they prefer acidic to neutral soils, they can tolerate slightly alkaline soil, especially in the case of Staphylea pinnata.

Staphyleas thrive in long, hot summers, which help them produce a more abundant flowering the following spring.

When to Plant?

Staphyleas can be planted either in spring (March-April) or autumn (October-November). We recommend planting in autumn: the bush will have ample time to take advantage of moist soil to establish a strong root system before the summer droughts of the following year.

Staphylea pinnata in flower

How to Plant?

In the Ground

• Soak your pot in a basin of water for a few minutes to rehydrate the root ball;
• Remove it from the pot, check the roots, and gently loosen part of the root ball to free them;
• Dig a hole twice as deep and wide as the root system of your bush;
• Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole and add some well-rotted manure or dried blood and ground horn;
• If your soil is heavy (clayey and compact), mix gravel with the excavated soil: this will improve water drainage in winter;
• Place your bush in the hole, spreading the roots evenly;
• Fill the hole with the excavated soil (with or without gravel). Do not bury the collar!;
• Firm the soil around the base of the Staphylea with your hands;
• Water thoroughly. The weight of the water will help eliminate air pockets between the roots and the soil;
• You can mulch the surface to retain soil moisture or plant some ground-cover perennials directly.

In a Pot

Staphylea can be grown in a pot if you choose a sufficiently large one: at least 50 cm wide and deep. The pot must have drainage holes for water to escape. Place a layer of gravel or clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot to improve drainage. The substrate should be rich: a mix of 50% good garden soil and 50% high-quality universal compost will be perfect. Water well after planting and remember to water during dry spells.

Pruning and Maintenance

Watering

For the first two years after planting, remember to water at the base during dry spells. After that, the bush should withstand drought without any issues. However, in pots, a good watering should be provided as soon as the substrate dries on the surface.

Don’t forget to mulch or plant ground cover plants around the base of your Staphylea to keep the soil cool.

Pruning

Pruning is optional: simply remove dead wood, overly thin or poorly placed branches. Over the years, the Staphylea will benefit from being thinned to give it the appearance of a small tree and reveal its beautiful bark. Prune at the end of winter (March) before the foliage appears.

If pruning is really necessary to control its growth, you can also prune after flowering, in June. However, you will lose its beautiful fruiting.

Maintenance

In poor soil, you can add a bit of well-rotted compost around the base of the bush before winter or in spring when planted in the ground. In pots, use a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants once a month from spring to the end of summer.

Possible diseases and pests

No need to worry with the False Pistachio. These bushes are highly resistant to diseases and parasitic pests.

Propagation of the False Pistachio

Propagation by Cuttings

The heel cutting method works best. You have a choice of timing: in spring (herbaceous cutting), in summer (semi-hardwood cutting), or in winter (hardwood cutting).

→ To learn all about the different types of cuttings, read Alexandra’s advice.

Sowing

The seeds are harvested in autumn. Place them in a well-draining substrate (such as seed compost) in a pot in the shade under a cold frame. Leave your pot outside in winter so the cold can stratify the seed. Patience is sometimes required, as staphyleas seeds may only germinate a year later.

Alternatively, the False Pistachio readily self-seeds in the garden if conditions are favourable. Feel free to move the young seedlings in autumn.

Recovering Suckers

Similarly, the Staphylea occasionally produces suckers. Simply separate a sucker from the parent plant and replant it elsewhere in spring or autumn.

Layering

It is possible to layer the lower branches of a Staphylea. Bend and secure a flexible branch to the ground. This will produce roots. You can then sever, i.e., separate the layer from the parent plant after two years of growth.

How to pair Staphylea?

The Staphylea pinnata will blend perfectly into a beautiful wild hedge alongside elderberries, hawthorns, rowans, medlars, guelder roses, serviceberries… as well as more colourful bushes in spring such as lilacs, roses (especially the botanical ones), and spring spireas…

The Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’, with its very dark foliage, will work wonders alongside trees and bushes with lighter, even golden foliage. For example, you could plant a Cercis canadensis ‘Eternal Flame’, with yellow, orange, and red foliage in spring and autumn, and light green in summer, alongside a Cornus alba ‘Aurea’, with golden yellow foliage for much of the year. At the base of the bladdernut, consider two types of creeping perennials: one with almost black foliage to echo that of the False Pistachio, such as a creeping bugle ‘Black Scallop’, and the second, in contrast, with yellow foliage, such as a Brunnera macrophylla ‘Green Gold’.

Bottom right, a Staphylea pinnata, accompanied in a wild-inspired hedge by a serviceberry, a lilac, a common medlar, a ‘Black Lace’ elder, and a hawthorn

Anecdotes

• In Georgia, on the shores of the Black Sea, the flower buds of Staphylea colchica are preserved in vinegar and take on the taste of capers;
• An oil that does not go rancid is extracted from the seeds of Staphylea trifolia. This oil is used in traditional pharmacopoeia on the North American continent;
• The bony seeds were once used in the making of necklaces or rosaries;
• The stems laden with capsules in winter are sought after by creators of original bouquets.