Staphylea bolanderi

Sierra bladdernut, Sierra Bladdernut

Family: Staphyleaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Sierra bladdernut is a California native shrub found in eastern Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, and central Sierra Nevada in wooded or shrubby slopes at elevations of 240 to 1,720 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate white flowers with prominent stamens that extend beyond the petals. Growing as a small shrub or tree 2 to 6 meters tall, it has a glabrous (smooth) form with an upright, rounded structure. Its leaves feature widely ovate to round leaflets 2.5 to 6 centimeters long with finely serrated edges, creating a delicate green canopy. The distinctive fruit is 2.5 to 5 centimeters long with prominent horns, containing light brown smooth seeds 5 to 7 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Wooded or shrubby slopes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 240-1720 m

Bioregions: e KR, CaR, c&amps SN.

California counties: Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Mariposa, Shasta, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Tehama

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.