General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 8b
Plant Height: 50-75ft (upright oval-rounded crown)
Plant Spread: 40-65ft
Leaves: Deciduous
Other: Light green palmate compound leaves emerge in spring, each with 7 (less frequently 5) spreading ovate-oblong leaflets to 4-10” long. Leaves mature to dark green in summer.
Fruit: Showy
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Other: White with red or yellow markings
Flower Time: Spring
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Street Tree
Uses: Shade Tree
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Toxicity: Leaves are poisonous
Roots are poisonous
Fruit is poisonous
Pollinators: Bees
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Conservation status: Near Threatened (NT)

Conservation status:
Conservation status: Near Threatened
Image
Common names
  • Horse Chestnut
  • Conker Tree

Photo Gallery
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Northumberland UK
Date: 2015-04-07
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Date: 2012-04-17
Young leaves of Aesculus hippocastanum seen with back lighting, w
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: St Louis
Date: 2004-03-27
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: May in the 1980's
foliage and flower clusters
Location: Gent, Belgium
Date: 2010-05-07
Location: Seville, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-07
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-08
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2010-08-18
three trees in park together

Date: 2013-05-08
Location: The Ardennes, Belgium
Date: 2016-11-05
Location: Hortus Botanicus Leiden
Date: 2022-03-26
Location: Botanical Garden Cologne (Germany)
Date: 2017-08-14
Heavely attacked by Cameraria ohridella moth
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-07
Location: madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-07
Location: Madrid, Spain | April, 2023
Date: 2023-04-07
Location: Gent, Belgium
Date: 2015-05-11

credit: Solipsist
Location: Belgium
Date: 2008-03-20
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: May in the 1980's
full-grown tree in bloom
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2014-08-13
tree in park with Leaf Blotch Fungus damaged foliage
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2010-08-18
foliage and capsule fruit
Location: The Ardennes, Belgium
Date: 2016-11-04

Date: 2012-04-18

Date: 2012-04-18

Date: 2012-04-18

Date: 2012-04-18

Date: 2012-04-18
Location: Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium
Date: 2008-04-21
Location: Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium
Date: 2008-04-21
Location: CZ-Prague
Date: 2009-06-14
Photo courtesy of: ironammonite
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 2015-05-07
Location: CZ Sirem
Date: 4000-05-08

photo credit: A. Barra

photo credit: Alberto Salguero
Location: Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium
Date: 2007-04-22
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 4000-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 2015-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 4000-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 4000-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 2015-02-09
branch pipe
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 2015-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 2015-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 2015-02-09
Location: Czech rep-Sirem
Date: 4000-02-09
Comments:
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 22, 2012 2:35 PM concerning plant:
    Honey bees get nectar, red pollen and honeydew from this plant.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jul 31, 2018 8:06 PM concerning plant:
    The Common Horsechestnut is native to southeastern Europe. I saw it planted a lot in Germany, Austria, and France in 1981, as it is common all over Europe. It is occasionally planted in the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the upper South, and the Midwest of the US. One can find a few at estates, well-to-do neighborhoods, and parks. Some large, diverse, conventional nurseries sell some. It is a handsome, good quality tree, though it is messy with its fallen capsules and seed, fallen twigs, and lot of leaves that often fall in late summer due to damage from the Buckeye Leaf Blotch Disease. The fungus does not kill trees, but discolours the foliage to drop early, being the most damaging during springs with cool, wet weather. It grows larger than the similar Ohio or Yellow Buckeye trees of eastern North America, usually about 40 to 50 feet high, bears larger palmately compound leaves with 7 leaflets, larger flower clusters of mostly white flowers, and larger, spiny capsules with larger buckeyes inside.
Plant Events from our members
hampartsum On August 1, 2009 Transplanted
Tranplanted once to present site. Flowered once since
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