''Aesculus flava'', the yellow buckeye, common buckeye, or sweet buckeye, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

tree. It is native to the Ohio Valley and

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...

of the Eastern United States. It grows in mesophytic forest or floodplains, generally in acid to circumneutral soil, reaching a height of 20m to 48m (65 ft to 154 ft).

Description

The leaves are palmately compound with five (rarely seven) leaflets, 10–25 cm long and broad. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are produced in

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s in spring, yellow to yellow-green, each flower 2–3 cm long with the stamens shorter than the petals (unlike the related '' A. glabra'' (Ohio buckeye), where the stamens are longer than the petals). The twigs have a faintly rank odor, but much less so than the Ohio buckeye, ''A. glabra''. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

is a smooth (spineless), round or oblong capsule 5–7 cm diameter, containing 1-3 nut-like

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s, 2.5-3.5 cm diameter, brown with a whitish basal scar. The fruit is poisonous to humans but can be made edible through a leaching process.

Cultivation

''Aesculus flava'' is cultivated as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. The tree's showy yellow flowers and good autumn color are attractive in larger gardens and in parks. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

's Award of Garden Merit. It has been marked as a pollinator plant that attracts hummingbirds and bees.

Uses

Native Americans roasted and soaked the poisonous seeds to remove the toxic element and consume them as food.

Photo gallery

Image:Aesculus_flava-leaf.jpg, Image:Aesculus octandra bark.jpg, Image:Aesculus octandra flower.jpg, File:Yellow buckeye fruits.jpg,

References

External links

Yellow Buckeye
Diagnostic images, Morton Arboretum acc. 12-U*1

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080510133148/http://www.buckeyeplayingcards.com/ Ohio Buckeye Trivia Cards tell about the buckeye, buckeye tree, buckeye history, buckeye folklore and more. {{Taxonbar, from=Q159620 flava Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Trees of the Eastern United States Trees of the Southeastern United States Trees of the Northeastern United States Natural history of the Great Smoky Mountains Garden plants of North America Ornamental trees Trees of the Great Lakes region (North America)