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Ohio buckeye Hippocastanaceae Aesculus glabra Willd. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: AEGL
Leaf: Opposite, palmately compound with 5 leaflets, oval to obovate leaflets are 3 to 6 inches long with a serrated margin, rachis about as long as leaflets, dark green above and paler below. Strong fetid odor when crushed.
Flower: Light yellow, in large, 4 to 7 inch, showy, upright clusters, stamens longer than petals, appear in spring.
Fruit: Prickly, leathery husk enclosing usually 1 smooth chestnut brown seed (1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Borne on a stout stalk and mature in fall.
Twig: Stout, with a large shield-shaped leaf scar; fetid odor when broken; terminal buds are large, orangish brown with keeled scales; opposite lateral buds are much smaller.
Bark: Initially smooth, ashy gray but later developing corky, scaly patches, becoming quite rough and darker gray.
Form: Upright, medium sized tree, 60 to 80 feet tall, 2 feet in diameter. Oblong crown with pendulous up turning branches.
 Looks like: yellow buckeye - horsechestnut - red buckeye

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

Additional Range Information: Aesculus glabra is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - 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