Staphylea cochinchinensis - Indomalaya Bladdernut

Indomalaya Bladdernut is an evergreen tree, up to 18 m tall, with bark thin, brown; blaze yellow. Leaves are imparipinnate, opposite; stipules interpetiolar, triangular, falling off; axis 3-10.5 cm, stout, swollen at base, hairless; leaflets 3-9, opposite; stipels lanceshaped-subulate; cauducous; leaflet-stalk 5-28 mm long, slender, grooved above, opposite; blade 4-15 x 2.5-6 cm, oblong, elliptic-oblong, ovate or elliptic-ovate, base pointed or narrowed, tip tapering, margin sawtoothed or rounded toothed-sawtoothed, leathery, hairless; lateral nerves 4-8 pairs, pinnate, prominent, intercostae netveined, prominent. Flowers are bisexual, 3-4 mm across, cream coloured, in at branch-ends or in leaf-axils panicles; flower-stalk short; sepals 5, 1.5 mm long, ovate, blunt, ciliolulate; petals 5, 3 mm long, ovate, pointed; stamens 5, inserted outside the disc; filaments hairless; disc raised, 5-lobed; ovary stalkless, 3-lobed, 3-celled, ovules 2 or more in each cell. Fruit is a berry, 12-18 mm, spherical, 1-3 lobed, purplish-brown, 3-celled; seeds angular, dark brown; hilum large. Indomalaya Bladdernut is found in Indomalaysia. It is found in the Himalayas at altitudes of 1200-2100 m, from Nepal to Bhutan, NE India.