Herb: Bladdernut


Latin name: Staphylea colchica


Family: Staphyleaceae (Bladdernut Family)



Medicinal use of Bladdernut:

Purgative.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
4 m
(13 feet)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Forests to 1200 metres.

Edible parts of Bladdernut:

Flower buds. No further details are given.

Other uses of the herb:

An oil from the seed tastes like pistachio nuts but is purgative. The report did not say if the oil had other uses.

Propagation of Bladdernut:

Seed - this can be very slow to germinate, sometimes taking 18 months or more. It is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, and some of it at least should then germinate in the spring. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible and given cold stratification - it might not germinate until spring of the following year. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out early the following summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Fair to good percentage. Layering in July/August. Takes 15 months. Good percentage.

Cultivation of the herb:

Forests to 1200 metres.

Known hazards of Staphylea colchica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.