Transcript Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum - Instructor

Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
• Habitat
– native to Greece and
Albania
– found in mountainous
regions
– zone 3
– commonly cultivated
throughout temperate
zones
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
• Habit and Form
– a large, deciduous flowering
tree
– texture is medium to coarse
– commonly 50' to 75' tall, but
100' specimens are possible
– upright-oval to rounded
form
– almost all specimens I
observed were taller than
they were broad
– lower branches hang down
with branch tips turning
upward
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
• Summer Foliage
– opposite, palmatelycompound with 7 leaflets
– each leaflet is 4" to 10" long
and obovate with an
acuminate tip
– leaves are light green as
they unfold and turn dark
green at maturity
– veins are impressed in the
leaflets making them
appear corrugated
– Leafs out early
• Autumn Foliage
– poor yellow or just brown
– often leaves are so scorched
and blotched that good fall
color is not possible
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
• Flowers
– very showy, reaching a peak in
mid-May
– white with a blotch of yellow and
red color at the base
– terminal panicles, 5" to 12" long
and 2 to 5" wide
• Fruit
– 2" to 2.5" diameter capsules
with 1 or 2 seeds
– has a dehiscent, spiny husk,
light brown in color
– matures in September and
October
– kids love to collect up the
seeds and use them as they
see fit
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
• Bark
– exfoliates in plates on older
branches and the trunk to
reveal showy orange bark
underneath
– most of the bark is dark gray
and brown
– interesting feature
• Culture
– full sun is best
– prefers a roomy soil that is
moist, but well-drained,
but fairly soil adaptable
– transplant B&B or from
container
– avoid hot, dry locations to
minimize leaf scorch and
other problems