Horse-chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
Shiny, brown seed
In May the horse chestnut bears erect panicles of white flowers with flecks of yellow to red – these are nectar- (or floral) guides that direct insects to the nectar. After flowering spiky green husks appear from which a large, glossy, brown seed - the conker - falls in the autumn.
Aesculus hippocastanum originates from the Balkans, Greece and Bulgaria where it grows up to altitudes of 1500 meters. Today in the wild the species is considered to be endangered as there are no more than about 10,000 individuals. However as a result of human involvement, the horse chestnut has been planted the world over.
Two diseases however are taking their toll: bleeding canker, a bacterium that affects the phloem, and the horse chestnut leaf miner, the larvae of which can damage the leaf tissue.
Horse chestnuts with twisted branches are known as Aesculus hippocastanum 'Tortuosa’.
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Crown jewel on the Twickel Estate.
Two chesnuts powdered and placed in an old sealed sock is a mild alternative to expensive washing powders.
The fruit of the European horse chestnut used to be given to horses as a remedy for horse cough, hence the name. Goats and pigs can also digest the chesnuts but they are toxic to humans.
For humans the chestnuts themselves are toxic.
In the past people carried seeds of the horse chestnut on them to protect themselves against rheumatism.
Ottomaanse ruiters gebruikten de gemalen vruchten als geneesmiddel voor paarden tegen luchtweginfecties. Ook voor geiten en varkens is deze vrucht eetbaar, maar voor mensen is hij giftig.
Details
Description: | Tree, up to 25 m. |
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Distributions: | Europe |
Habitat: | Damp deciduous woods, on the edges of forests and in thickets, on acid soils with enough nutrients. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
Hardiness: | -4 - 5 f (hardy - very cold winter) |
Flowering period: | Mei - juni |
Flower color: | White |
Notes on flowers: | White flowers with yellow spots turning red with age. |
Fruiting period: | September - november |
Fruit color: | Brown |
Notes on fruits: | Lichtgroen beige bolster met stekels, een doosvrucht met 3 kleppen. |
At its best: | Mei - juni |
Sources
http://www.floron.nl/publicaties/rode-lijst-2012,https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/585/i-Aesculus-hippocastanum-i/Details,
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paardenkastanje,
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/aeshipa.pdf,
http://www.floravannederland.nl/planten/Witte+paardenkastanje,
https://www.wilde-planten.nl/witte%20paardenkastanje.htm,
Dendrologie van de lage landen - Jan de Koning en Wim van den Broek, Dendroflora 34: p. 11