Aesculus L. (Sapindaceae)

A genus of about thirteen species of trees and shrubs; of temperate North America, e. Asia, and se. Europe.

Four or five species occur in North Carolina.

1. Petals usually 5, white with a reddish mark near the cordate base of the petal blade; buds glutinous (sticky); fruit spiny; leaflets 7 (-9) per leaf...*A. hippocastanum (Horsechestnut)

Bark of Aesculus hippocastanum (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Twig of Aesculus hippocastanum (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Aesculus hippocastanum (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Flowers of Aesculus hippocastanum (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Fruits of Aesculus hippocastanum (Photo: W.D. Brush)

N.C. distribution of Aesculus hippocastanum (coming soon)

U.S. distribution of Aesculus hippocastanum

*Aesculus hippocastanum (Horsechestnut)
(Rare [native of se. Europe; horticultural escape]; urban and suburban areas, perhaps not definitely naturalized, but fairly often planted as a street tree and escaping as seedlings in the vicinity of plantings; Mt, Pd)

1. Petals 4 (or 4-5 in A. parviflora), cream-colored, yellow, red; or white (and then lacking a red blaze); buds not glutinous; fruit smooth (or with some prickles in A. glabra var. glabra); leaflets 5 (-7) per leaf; [native]...2.

2. Stamens about 2× as long as the petals, well-exserted beyond the corolla; petals only slightly unequal in size; fruit spiny with short prickles (rarely essentially smooth)...A. glabra var. glabra (Ohio buckeye)

Bark of Aesculus glabra (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Twig of Aesculus glabra (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Aesculus glabra (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Aesculus glabra (Photo: W.D. Brush)

Flowers of Aesculus glabra (Photo: R. Thomas, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; http://wildflowerlense.com/)

Fruit of Aesculus glabra (Photo: W.D. Brush)

Seeds of Aesculus glabra (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Aesculus glabra (coming soon)

U.S. distribution of Aesculus glabra

Aesculus glabra var. glabra (Ohio buckeye)
(Rare or absent; mesic forests over limestone; largely midwestern; Mt; Fl: Apr-May)

2. Stamens about 1× as long as the petals, included or barely exserted beyond the corolla; petals markedly unequal in size;
fruit smooth...3.

3. Petal margins stipitate-glandular; petals scarlet; fruits 3-6 cm in diameter...A. pavia (Red buckeye)

Bark of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

Flowers of Aesculus pavia (Photo: R. Thomas, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; http://wildflowerlense.com/)

Leaves of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

Flower of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

Flowers of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

Flower of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

Fruit of Aesculus pavia (Copyright W. Cook)

N.C. distribution of Aesculus pavia

U.S. distribution of Aesculus pavia

Aesculus pavia (Red buckeye)
(Uncommon [rare in Pd]; swamp forests, usually stagnant, usually blackwater and especially over marl [coquina limestone]; may be introduced in some areas due to cultivation; Pd, CP; Fl: Apr-May, Fr: Jul-Aug)

3. Petal margins villous, not glandular; petals yellow; fruits 2-8 cm in diameter...4.

4. Calyx and pedicels stipitate-glandular; large tree; petiolules 2-3 (-4) mm long; fruits 5-8 cm in diameter...A. flava (Yellow buckeye)

Bark of Aesculus flava (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Bark of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Aesculus flava (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Aesculus flava (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Leaves of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Flowers of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

Fruit of Aesculus flava (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Fruit of Aesculus flava (Copyright W. Cook)

N.C. distribution of Aesculus flava

U.S. distribution of Aesculus flava

Aesculus flava (Yellow buckeye)
(Common [rare in Pd]; moist forests, up to nearly 2000m, especially prominent in seepy cove forests, in the Pd only in "montane" habitats; Mt, Pd; Fl: Apr-Jun, Fr: Aug-Sep)

4. Calyx and pedicels puberulent; shrub to small tree; petiolules 3-12 mm long; fruits 2-4 cm in diameter...A. sylvatica (Painted buckeye)

Bark of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Bud of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaf of Aesculus sylvatica (Photo: Z.L. Robinson, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Leaves of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Leaves of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Flowers of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Fruit of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

Fruit of Aesculus sylvatica (Copyright W. Cook)

N.C. distribution of Aesculus sylvatica

U.S. distribution of Aesculus sylvatica

Aesculus sylvatica (Painted buckeye)
(Common; in the Pd in mesic, nutrient-rich forests, on bottomlands, lower slopes, and in ravines, in the CP primarily on floodplains of brownwater [alluvium-carrying] rivers [most notably the Roanoke River], in the Mt only at low elevations; Mt, Pd, CP; Fl: Apr-May, Fr: Jul-Aug)