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Colutea ×media

Scientific Name: Colutea ×media

Family: Fabaceae

Category: Dicot

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Colutea x media: Bladder Senna

Colutea x media, commonly known as Bladder Senna or Orange Bladder-senna, is an attractive and vigorous shrub admired for its unique inflated seed pods.

Considerations for Pets

  • The plant produces inflated seed pods, which might be tempting for pets to chew on.
  • The plant has pea-like blooms.

Considerations for Children

  • The plant produces inflated seed pods, which might be tempting for children to play with.
  • The plant has pea-like blooms.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Colutea x media Willd.
  • Common Names: Bladder Senna, Orange Bladder-senna
  • Family: Leguminosae (also referred to as Papilionaceae)
  • Hybrid Origin: Colutea arborescens x Colutea orientalis
  • Synonyms: Colutea arborescens x orientalis = C. x media

Distribution and Habitat

  • Originated around 1790 in the Berlin Botanic Gardens.
  • Described as a very rare escape or relic of cultivation, possibly overlooked.
  • Found in NW Europe.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Deciduous shrub growing to approximately 3 meters (9 feet) in height and width.
  • Pinnate, blue-green leaves.
  • Orange and yellow pea-like flowers, approximately 1-2 inches across, blooming from July to August.
  • Followed by large, inflated seed pods, approximately 2-3 inches in size.
  • Greyish pinnate leaves with 11-13 rounded leaflets.

Ecological Role

  • Nitrogen-fixing shrub.

Quirky Facts

  • The hybrid originated in the Berlin Botanic Gardens in 1790.
  • In certain climates, it may behave like a perennial, restarting its growth from the ground each spring.

Further Information

  • RHS (Royal Horticultural Society)
  • EOL (Encyclopedia of Life)
  • Euro+Med PlantBase: http://ww2.bgbm.org/euroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?UUID=0557493A-C49E-41F1-9D3F-
  • B and T World Seeds' database