Yellow Buckeye
Aesculus flava Ait.
Also known as Sweet Buckeye.
Mature Size: Commonly 50 to 80 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
Form: Usually quite straight, with a rounded crown.
Habitat: Moist, deep, well-drained soils of river bottoms, coves, and north-facing slopes.
Leaves
Opposite, palmately compound, 10 to 15 inches long, 5 oval leaflets, each 3 to 7 inches long, edges sharply toothed.
Flowers
Pale yellow-orange, tubular, in large showy upright 4 to 8 inch clusters, appearing in late spring.
Fruit
Smooth-surfaced capsule 2 to 3 inches long, bearing 1 to 3 brown, shiny 1½ to 2 inch nuts with a lighter spot on one side. The nuts are poisonous if eaten.
Bark
Initially smooth, light grayish brown and often splotchy; later developing large scaly patches.
Twigs
Thick, with large, shield-shaped leaf scars and orange pores; end buds ½ to ¾ inch long, orange-brown, sharp pointed; side buds much smaller.
Values and Uses
The wood is light, soft and close-grained. It is sometimes used for pulpwood and woodenware. Yellow buckeye is also planted as an attractive ornamental tree.
Did You Know?
Although the nuts are poisonous if eaten by people and animals, mountain people used to believe that a buckeye carried in a pocket would bring good luck.
