Saturday, September 25, 2010

Buckeye



This must be an Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra).
The whole tree looked lush orange. Up close the leaf colors ranged from yellow to deep orange. Yummy colors.

Here's a photo of the deep orange part:



The shell/nut seed reminded me of a hazelnut inside a prickly walnut shell.



A similar tree, the horse-chestnut, is bigger and doesn't grow here.

ndsu1
"Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) leaves have five to seven toothed leaflets arising at a common point (as the fans on a pinwheel). The leaflets are 3 to 6 inches long. The large showy flowers appear in clusters at the ends of the branches shortly after leafing in the spring. The fruit is a large, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, leathery capsule. It contains a large round chestnut-brown, shiny seed that contains a light colored spot at its base. Not native. New hybrid cultivars, medium-sized in stature, deserve greater attention for planting as residential and ornamental trees. Select 'Autumn Splendor' and 'Homestead' cultivars for leaf scorch resistance and reddish-orange fall color."

ndsu2
"The true horse-chestnut (A. hippocastanum) of the eastern and southern U.S. is beyond the range of hardiness in North Dakota.
If planted here it may suffer severe winter killing each year — if it survives at all.
The tree planted in North Dakota as buckeye (A. glabra) is hardy and also more variable.
Many hardy individuals are found growing well in North Dakota."

usda

1 comment:

Denise said...

This is a great post thanks for writing it.