Yellow buckeye, Sweet buckeye, Big buckeye
Aesculus octandra
Family: Sapindaceae
What it is like
A tree. The crown is rounded. It grows 21-27 m high. The trunk is 60-90 cm across. The leaves are opposite and divided into leaflets like fingers on a hand. The leaf stalks are slender and 9-18 cm long. The leaflets are 10-20 cm long by 4-7.5 cm wide. They have teeth along the edge. The flowers are 3 cm long and with 4 very unequal petals. They are in upright clusters 10-15 cm long at the ends of branches. The fruit are 5-7.5 cm across. They are pale brown and smooth. There are 1-3 large brown seeds.
There are 15 Aesculus species. Also put in the family Hippocastanaceae.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows between 150-1900 m altitude in SE of the USA. It grows on streambanks
Countries/locations it is found in
Canada, North America, USA
How it is used for food
CAUTION The seeds are poisonous. The toxic element needs to be removed by roasting and soaking before being eaten.
Edible parts
Seeds, nut, caution