Staphylea japonica , commonly called the Korean sweetheart tree, is a 12 to 20 foot high hardy perennial shrub or small tree in the bladdernut or Staphyleaceae family. This is a J.C. Raulston Arboretum introduction and it is rare to find one in cultivation. J. C. Raulston discovered the Korean sweetheart tree in 1985 on the Korean Peninsula while participating in a U.S. National Arboretum collection expedition. He brought seeds back to the North Carolina State Arboretum for assessment and evaluation. Korean Sweetheart grows best in medium moisture, well-drained, sandy soil or loam in full sun to part shade. You can expect more success growing as a transplant than attempting to grow from seed. It will tolerate brief periods of drought, but best performance is in soils with consistent and even moisture. You should avoid planting in areas of hot and dry summers.The plant has a horizontal form with branches that are open and irregular. The bark is violet-chocolate with white stripes and is quite striking especially in winter. In fall, the leaves turn an unusual mahogany color. The plant's flowers appear in May and June and are small and unremarkable; however, they are followed by heart-shaped seed capsules that turn an intense cherry-red in fall and open to reveal black seeds. Staphylea japonica is very drought tolerant. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: There are no known serious problems with insects or disease.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheCornus sericea 'Flaviramea'Lagerstroemia 'Osage'Stewartia monadelpha
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Shrub; Tree
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Each 6 to 10 inch long emerald green leaf has 7 to 11 leathery, fine-toothed, glossy, slender-pointed leaflets.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower form
Insignificant; Panicle
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
Small (1/4 inch), yellow flowers in terminal panicles to 9” long. They appear from May to June and are followed by heart-shaped seed capsules that turn an intense cherry-red in fall and open to reveal black seeds.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit detail
Abundant, heart-shaped seed capsules that turn an intense cherry-red in fall and open to reveal black seeds.
Bark color
Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Unusual violet-chocolate with white stripes in winter.