Common Buckeye trees in our area:

 

 

Ohio Buckeye:

• Broadleaf deciduous tree, 20-40 ft (6-12 m) tall, similar or greater spread, dense, rounded form.  Leaves opposite, palmately compound, usually 5 elliptic to obovate leaflets, each 3-6 in long and 1-2.5 in wide, acuminate tip (gradually concave sides tapering to a point), wedge-shaped base, finely serrate, medium to dark green, nearly glabrous at maturity; petioles 2-6 in long.  Leaf color in autumn is usually yellow, but sometimes orange-red or reddish-brown.  Leaves have a disagreeable odor when crushed, hence the name Fetid or Stinking Buckeye.  Flowers yellow-green, 1 in, 4 petaled, in terminal clusters (panicles), 4-7 in long, appear with or after leaves.  Fruit light brown, 1-2 in long, ovoid, with a prickly covering, containing 1-3 dark brown seeds, 0.5-1.5 in diameter, they contain the glycoside aesculin, a saponin aescin, and possibly alkaloids, and are considered poisonous to humans and livestock although they are eaten by squirrels.

 

• Sun to light shade.  Best on moist, well-drained, slightly acid soil.
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• Hardy to USDA Zone 4   Native range from Pennsylvania to Nebraska, Kansas and Alabama.
• glabra: smooth, a reference to the leaves.

 

Yellow Buckeye:

• Deciduous tree, oval to slightly spreading crown, often to 60-75 ft (18-23 m) tall.  Leaves opposite to sub-opposite, palmately compound, 10-16 in long, 5 (occasionally 7) elliptical leaflets, each 3-7 in long, 1-3 in wide, wedge-shaped base, long pointed tip, margin sharply serrate, dark green and glabrous above except on midrib, paler below; petiole as long or longer than a leaflet.  Bark is dark brown and scaly rather than furrowed.  Twig buds are large and non-resinous.  Fall color may range from yellow to pale orange, some red.  Flowers are pale to dark yellow, 1-1.5 in long, in clusters 5-7 in long; 4 petals, 7 stamens shorter than petals, styles longer than petals and curving upward.  Fruit to about 2.5 in long, husk pitted but without prickles, sub-spherical, leathery and tan, usually with 2 shiny brown seeds.

 

• Sun to partial shade, moist, well-drained soil; grows poorly on dry sites.  Some consider it a much underutilized landscape tree.
• The seeds of Aesculus flava are reportedly poisonous, they are rich in saponins which are bitter and toxic, but poorly absorbed by the human body.  The seeds may be leached of poisonous toxins and then eaten, these are said to be as "sweet as a chestnut".  Native Americans roasted the nuts among hot stones, thus loosening the shells, peeled and mashed them, and then leached the meal with water for several days (Peatte, 1991, p. 481; Plant for a Future website, http://www.pfaf.org/index.html).

 

• Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (Snyder, 2000)     Native range extends from Pennsylvania to Tennessee and northern Alabama and Georgia, west to Ohio and Illinois.

 

 

Common problems with Buckeye trees:

 

 

Insects:

 

Aphids	Asian Longhorned Beetle
Aphids feed by sucking up plant juices through a food channel in their beaks. At the same time, they inject saliva into the host. Light infestations are usually not harmful to plants, but higher infestations may result in leaf curl, wilting, stunting of shoot growth, and delay in production of flowers and fruit, as well as a general decline in plant vigor. Some aphids are also important vectors of plant diseases, transmitting pathogens in the feeding process. A sticky glaze of honeydew may collect on lower leaves, outdoor furniture, cars, and other objects below aphid feeding sites. Honeydew coated objects soon become covered by one or more brown fungi known as sooty molds. Crusts of sooty mold are unsightly on man-made objects, and they can interfere with photosynthesis in leaves. MORE INFO	The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an exotic pest threatening a wide variety of hardwood trees in North America. Adults are large (0.75 - 1.50 inches long) with very long black and white banded antennae.  The body is glossy black with irregular white spots.  Adults can be seen from late spring to fall depending on the climate. ALB attacks and kills many hardwood trees, such as maple, elm, horsechestnut, ash, birch, poplar, willow and many more.  ALB could significantly disrupt the forest ecosystem if it became established over a large area.   MORE INFO
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Diseases:

 

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