Ohio Buckeye, American Horse-chestnut, Fetid Buckeye,, Aesculus glabra Willd., Naturalized Minnesota Tree, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Ohio Buckeye	Aesculus glabra Willd.	Buckeye	Woodland	Spring flowering, Seed pods to Late Summer
Other names and notes	(American Horse-chestnut; Fetid Buckeye). A tree with a rounded crown that can grow to 70' in height. The leaves are opposite and palmately compound, with 5 to 7 leaflets that are elliptical and unevenly saw-toothed. The spring flowers are yellow to greenish-yellow and appear in upright clusters at the end of branches. The fruit is a round (1 - 2") spiny capsule that contains one to three dark brown seeds. The seeds are poisonous to humans (but not squirrels) and will readily produce new trees if protected from squirrels.


Distinctive leaves	Fruit clusters of late summer


Ohio Buckeye bark	Flower Buds of early May	Flower Cluster of mid-May

Notes: The alternate common name of "fetid buckeye" refers to an unpleasant odor of crushed leaves and twigs. This is the state tree of Ohio. Minnesota is north of it's normal distribution, although a native population was reported in Wabasha County; otherwise it is an introduced tree and seems to do well in the Garden. Eloise Butler recorded planting the tree in April 1911, sourced from Strand's Nursery in Taylors Falls, MN. Martha Crone noted in her log planting this tree in 1934; those on Geranium Path are of good size. A younger but very nice specimen is just off the front porch of the Martha Crone Visitors Shelter.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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