| AESCULUS CALIFORNICA
CALIFORNIA BUCKEYE
Species Name: Aesculus
californica
Family: Hippocastanaceae
(buckeye family)
Plant Type: Broad-leaf
tree
Description: Tree,
height 15-40 feet, deciduous with leaves falling by late summer
as a strategy against drought, new leaf growth begins in February.
Leaf:
Compound, palmate leaf, generally with
5 leaflets, leaflet finely toothed, length 2-7 inches.
 
Flower:
May-June: Spike-like
cluster, length 6-8 inches, with small white to pinkish, sweet smelling
flowers (length ½ inch). Pollen
and nectar are toxic to honeybees.
Fruit/Seed:
Large,
pear shaped, grayish-brown, and leathery. Usually
a single fruit is born at tip of flower spike and remains on tree after
leaf fall. Fruit splits to reveal a
large brown seed (said to look like a buck's eye).
Seed round, large, diameter 1-2
inches, glossy brown, ripens in September.
Typical Location:
Established floodplain forests,
borders of streams, canyons, dry slopes; elevations below 5,600 feet.
Revegetation
Approach: Container
and direct seeding. Seeds easy to
grow but toxic. Tolerant of urban pollution and salt spray.
Notes:
All plant parts
toxic, but seeds provide wildlife with some forage.
Roots are good for binding soil.
Native Americans used ground seeds to stun fish.
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Plant List
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