Bladder senna

Colutea arborescens

Mediterranean shrub with yellow pea-flowers followed by inflated, papery, parchment-like seed pods that pop when squeezed. Tolerates poor and alkaline soils.

Hardiness ratings

Bladder senna hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 5–8 −28.9 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 5–8 −23 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–4 −15 °C to 5 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Inflated seed pods are the ornamental highlight — long-lasting and decorative
  • Tolerates poor, dry, and alkaline soils where many shrubs struggle
  • Different plant from medicinal senna (Senna alexandrina) — the names are coincidental

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Bladder senna against your zones

Reference

Bladder senna on Wikipedia