American bladdernut

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American bladdernut leaf

American bladdernut

American bladdernut bud

American bladdernut

American bladdernut leaflets

American bladdernut

American bladdernut flowers

American bladdernut leaf

American bladdernut fruit

American bladdernut inflorescence

American bladdernut bud

Morphology

Trunk

Shrubs, rarely trees, erect, forming thickets from root-suckers; bark grayish brown, initially smooth, eventually fissured, somewhat flaky; wood white, hard.

Twigs

Greenish brown to reddish brown, flexible, smooth or slightly furrowed, glabrous; leaf scars half-round; buds reddish brown, ovoid, .1 to .14 inch, apex obtuse, scales ciliate.

Leaves

Deciduous, opposite, 3-foliolate, 2 to 10 inches; stipules falling early, linear, .4 to .6 inch; petiole 1 to 4 inches, glabrate or sparsely pubescent to velvety; leaflets elliptic to ovate or obovate, 1.6 to 3.6 inches long, .4 to 2 inches wide, base obtuse to truncate, margins minutely toothed, apex acuminate to cuspidate, abaxial surface pale green, sparsely to densely velvety, adaxial surface green, glabrate to sparsely velvety; terminal petiolule .4 to 1.4 inch, much longer than laterals.

Flowers

Panicles, drooping, (2-)5-20-flowered, 2 to 2.4 inches; pedicels jointed, .24 to .45 inch, glabrous or sparsely velvety. Flowers bisexual, radially symmetric; sepals 5, distinct, oblong-ovate to oblong-triangular, .24 to .3 inch, glabrous, apex obtuse to acute, calyx campanulate; petals 5, white, erect, spatulate, .3 to .4 inch; stamens 5, inserted at margin of a disk, alternate with petals; pistil 1; styles 3, .16 to .2 inch, glabrous.

Fruit

May and July; capsules in drooping clusters, yellowish green, papery-inflated, ellipsoid to ovoid or obovoid, 1.2 to 2 inches long, 1.2 to 1.6 inch wide, sparsely pubescent distally; seeds light brown to brown, ellipsoid to globose, ca. .25 inch, smooth, glossy.

Ecology

Habitat

Moist woods, along streams, thickets, or rocky, wooded hillsides; calcareous soils.

Distribution

East 1/3 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans steeped the powered bark and used the liquid as a wash for face sores and a wash to stop babies crying. A compound infusion made with the plant was used to treat rheumatism. The seeds were considered sacred and were used in rattles for medicine dances.

Additional Notes