Buckeyes……………..Don’t Pass the Buck!

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Which Buckeye is which?

 

flava

 

 

 

Or is it a common horse-chestnut?

 

hippo

 

 

 

 

Or a cross between red buckeye and common horse-chestnut?

 

cross

 

 

 

 

Now might be a good time to tell.

 

This time of year, buckeyes and horse-chestnuts are producing fruit (seeds in a husk). Now is a really good time to tell the difference between them.  The fruit of any Aesculus can be found growing singly or in clusters. A fruit can contain between one and six seeds although more than three seeds is a rare occurrence.  The difference between species is in size and the texture of the fruit husk.

 

buck7

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio buckeye has a nut about the size of a quarter that is dark brown with a warty husk.

 

ohio

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow buckeye has a seed quite a bit larger than a quarter and is typically mahogany. The fruit can be almost baseball size with smooth greenish husk. 

 

yellow

 

 

 

 

 

The Red buckeye also has a smooth husk, but its fruit tend to be smaller.  The seeds are about the size of a quarter and are honey brown.

 

 

 

 

 

red

 

pavia

 

 

 

Here are comparisons of Ohio, yellow, and red buckeye fruit and seeds.

 

buck seed

 

 

 

 

Bottlebrush Buckeye fruit are found at the end of the panicles. 

 

bottle

 

 

The fruit are typically smaller than other buckeye species and usually contain only a single seed.  The seeds are between nickel and quarter size and are light brown in color.

 

parv small

 

 

 

As for common horse-chestnut, a main difference is that  the outer husk has spines.

 

The fruit inside is similar to that of yellow buckeye but the hilum is larger.

hip

 

fruit

 

 

 

 

One other main difference is the foliage retention and freedom from Guignardia leaf blotch.

 

buck fla

 

 

 

 

In the order of tolerance, the following list is cleanest to most incidence of blotch.

 

Aesculus parviflora – Bottlebrush Buckeye

 

bottle2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aesculus x ‘Autumn Splendor’ - Autumn Splendor Buckeye

 

splendor

 

 

 

 

 

Aesculus flava – Yellow Buckeye

 

yellow tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aesculus pavia – Red Buckeye

 

red

 

Ohio Buckeye

 

ohio buck

 

 

 

 

The trees most susceptible to Guignardia leaf blotch are the common horse-chestnut or crosses of the common horse-chestnut with  red buckeye.

 

guignardia

 

 

 

Aesculus hippocastanum – Common horse-chestnut is most susceptible to blotch.

 

hip

 

 

 

 

The red horse-chestnut selections including Aesculus x carnea ‘Fort McNair’ and Aesculus x carnea ‘Brioti’, will not typically have fruit but will show signs of blotch.

 

ft mcnair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, get out there and “Go Nuts”

 

go nuts

 

 

 

…………….. I mean “Go BUCKS!”

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