Virginia Tech Dendrology

red horsechestnut Hippocastanaceae Aesculus xcarnea Hayne [hippocastanum × pavia] symbol: AECA2
Leaf: Opposite, palmately compound with 5 (sometimes 7), obovate, serrate leaflets each 4 to 6 inches long, dark green above and paler below.
Flower: Beautiful, upright cluster of pink tubular (red in cultivar "Briotii")flowers, each cluster 5 to 8 inches long; appearing in spring.
Fruit: Nearly round with thick, leathery somewhat spiny husks enclosing 1 to 3 smooth, chestnut brown seeds; ripening in the fall.
Twig: Stout, light-brown with raised lenticels, large opposite shield-shaped leaf scars, large pointed orange-brown buds are often paired at the ends of twigs.
Bark: Splotchy gray-brown, initially smooth but with size will develop scaly patches.
Form: Upright, 30 to 40 feet tall with a round crown.
Looks like: red buckeye - horsechestnut

Additional Range Information: Aesculus xcarnea is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information