The American Bladdernut is a small, deciduous tree or shrub that has trifoliate leaves and inflated, bladder-like fruits. It is an understory plant of the forests of eastern North America. It grows from Canada south to Florida and west to Nebraska and Arkansas. It is occasionally grown as an ornamental plant. Hardy in zones 3-8.
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Growing Instructions for the American Bladdernut
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The seeds need to be planted when received or stored in a refrigerator until they are planted. The seeds have a hard seed coat that has to be treated, or scarified, in order for water to enter the seeds so that they can sprout. 1. Scarify the seeds by nicking or sanding the seed coat. The seeds can be sanded with sandpaper, a nail file or an emery board. The seeds have a period of dormancy. They can be planted outdoors in the fall or winter for spring germination or they can be cold stratified to simulate winter conditions and to break their dormancy at any time of the year. 1. Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. 2. Put the seeds in a ziplock bag. 3. Put the bag in the refrigerator and leave it there for 3 months. 4. The seeds like moist soil. Use a sterile seed starter mix, if available. It prevents soil fungi from damaging the seeds and the seedlings. If not available, then make a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. 5. Put the soil in a pot. 6. Sow the seeds ¼ of an inch deep. 7. Water the soil so that it is moist but not wet. 8. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.