Herb: Bladder Nut


Latin name: Staphylea pinnata


Family: Staphyleaceae (Bladdernut Family)



Edible parts of Bladder Nut:

Seed - raw. Said to taste like pistachios, the seeds are eaten by children in Germany.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
4.5 m
(15 feet)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Hedgerows and copses.

Propagation of Bladder Nut:

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. Plants sometimes produce suckers, these can be removed in the dormant season and planted out.

Cultivation of the herb:

Hedgerows and copses.

Medicinal use of Bladder Nut:

None known

Known hazards of Staphylea pinnata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.