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California buckeye Hippocastanaceae Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutt. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: AECA
Leaf: Opposite, deciduous, palmately compound, usually 5 leaflets about 4 to 6 inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide, margins serrated, dark green and shiny above and paler below.
Flower: White or pale pink inch-long flowers are borne in tall, erect clusters (4 to 8 inches long).
Fruit: Fruits are pear-shaped, smooth leathery capsules, 2 to 3 inches long. Each bears 1 or 2 orange-brown seeds about 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Twig: Stout; reddish brown when young but darkening with age; smooth.
Bark: Thin (1/2 inch); smooth; gray.
Form: A small tree or shrub reaching 30 feet tall and 5 inches in diameter.
 Looks like: horsechestnut - yellow buckeye - bottlebrush buckeye - painted buckeye

California buckeye leaf image
California buckeye flower image
California buckeye fruit image
California buckeye twig image
California buckeye bark image
California buckeye form image
California buckeye map image

Additional Range Information: Aesculus californica is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 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