Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

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

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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 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