Staphylea japonica arrived in American horticulture through a specific act of botanical curiosity: J.C. Raulston brought seeds back from the Korean Peninsula during a 1985 collection expedition and grew them out at the North Carolina State Arboretum. The plant is still rarely encountered in cultivation, which is the primary reason to seek it out. It grows 12 to 20 feet tall with a horizontal, open and irregular branching structure, and in winter the bark reveals itself as violet-chocolate striped with white, a quality worth planning a sightline toward.

The flowers appear in May and June and are understated, but they lead to the main event: heart-shaped seed capsules that turn an intense cherry-red in fall, open to expose black seeds, and give the plant its common name. Autumn foliage shifts to an unusual mahogany tone as well, making fall an unexpectedly rich season for a tree whose spring bloom is modest. Plant in medium moisture, well-drained sandy soil or loam in full sun to part shade across Zones 6 to 8. Consistent moisture through the growing season matters more than soil type, and the tree is drought tolerant once established but performs noticeably better with even irrigation.