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Malvaceae FAMILY

Staphylea holocarpa

Staphylea holocarpa

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Staphylea holocarpa is generally a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°c when fully dormant[1]. Tolerant of a wide range of soils so long as they are not too dry[2, 1], it prefers a rich loamy soil in full sun or semi-shade[3, 4, 1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].

Propagation

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[1], 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, mid summer in a frame. Fair to good percentage[5]. Cuttings of mature wood root easily. Layering in mid summer. Takes 15 months. Good percentage[5]. Division of sucker shoots. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Staphylea+holocarpa>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  6. [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  7. [7]New Trees — Grimshaw J.; Bayton R.; Wilks H. · Kew Publishing; London · 2009 · ISBN 1842461737 ↩︎Provides comprehensive botanical descriptions and horticultural commentary on over 800 tree species that have been introduced to cultivation in recent decades.
  8. [8]Wild food plants and wild edible fungi in two valleys of the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, central China) — Yongxiang Kang, Lukasz Luczaj, Jin Kang & Shijiao Zhang · 2012 · http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/26 ↩︎Basic information on 185 wild food plant species.