Aesculus: Horse-Chestnuts and Buckeyes

trees · flowering plants · northern hemisphere

Trees and shrubs. Aesculus includes both large trees and smaller shrubs that grow mostly in the cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They're part of the Sapindaceae family, which also includes other interesting plants like maples and soapberries.

Spread across continents. About 12 to 16 species of Aesculus grow in different parts of the world: seven species live in North America, four in Asia, one in Europe, and one species even reaches the subtropical forests of southeast Asia. Scientists count them differently, which is why the exact number varies a bit.

Horse-chestnut name. The European and Asian species are called horse-chestnuts, possibly because their large seeds were once used as food for horses. Despite the name, they're not related to true chestnuts at all.

Buckeyes of America. North American species are known as buckeyes because their smooth, round brown seeds look like the eye of a buck, or male deer. These seeds are shiny and beautiful, and kids love collecting them.

Flowering beauties. Aesculus trees produce spectacular clusters of colorful flowers in spring, with colors ranging from white and pink to red and yellow. The flowers attract bees and other insects that help make the seeds we love to find.