| Description | Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a large tree that produces clusters of white flowers in late May and early June. It also produces tons of large, hard seeds that drop onto the lawn and need removal. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (es-KU-lus)(hip-oh-kas-TA-num) |
| Plant Type | Trees Deciduous, Site author's observations |
| Sunlight | full sun |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | 4-5 petals, white and blotched purple and yellow at the base, found in 6-10" long terminal clusters (panicles). |
| Fruit | 2-2 1/2" long, very hard, light brown and form a spiny capsule, A real mess to clean up in the fall. |
| Leaves | opposite, palmately compound with seven leaflets, prone to disfiguring by fungus diseases in the fall |
| Dimensions | 50-60 plus feet tall, 40-50 plus feet spread |
| Maintenance | fall clean up of the hard seeds |
| Propagation | seeds |
| Misc Facts | "Conkers is a traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and the tree itself. The game is played by two players, each with a conker threaded onto a piece of string: they take turns striking each other's conker until one breaks." (Wikipedia-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conkers) |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #03-The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (Hillier Nursery) |
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