Horse ChestnutAesculus hippocastanum

• Habitat – native to Greece and

Albania – found in mountainous

regions – zone 3 – commonly cultivated

throughout temperate

zones

Horse ChestnutAesculus 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 ChestnutAesculus hippocastanum

• Summer Foliage – opposite, palmately-

compound 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 ChestnutAesculus 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 ChestnutAesculus 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