bottlebrush buckeye Hippocastanaceae Aesculus parviflora Walter symbol: AEPA2 Leaf: Opposite, palmately compound, finely serrated margin, 5 to 7 leaflets, 4 to 8 inches long, green to dark green above, lighter and downy beneath. Flower: Clusters look like a bottle brush, individual flowers white, stamens 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long and reaching past petals, produced on cylindrical panicles 8 to 12 inch long, and 2 to 4 inch wide, appearing in early summer. Fruit: Pear-shaped capsule, 2 to 3 inches long, 3 parted husks, light brown, smooth, ripen in early fall. Twig: Stout, gray-brown, lighter lenticels, end buds large, orangish brown with gray cast (fuzz), 4 to 6 scales visible, large heart-shaped leaf scar. Bark: Smooth, lenticeled, gray to light reddish brown. Form: Large shrub 8 to 15 feet tall; multistemmed and suckering, many upright, slender branches; wide-spreading crown, rarely reaching tree size. Looks like: red buckeye - painted buckeye Additional Range Information: Aesculus parviflora is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting bottlebrush buckeye. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson