Aesculus glabra
Ohio Buckeye
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The glabra species is the only Aesculus grown for its autumn colour. Although it has a superior autumn colour, it also has the most undesirable and insignificant flowers of all Aesculus species. For a large estate, glabra would make an excellent addition for its autumn foliage, however the short period during which it is attractive makes glabra a poor choice for a small garden with few specimen choices.
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Family |
Sapindaceae (Hippocastanaceae) |
Genus |
Aesculus |
Species |
glabra |
Category |
Woody |
Type |
Tree (deciduous) |
Pronunciation |
USDA Hardiness Zone |
4 - 7 |
Canadian Hardiness Zone |
3 |
RHS Hardiness Zone |
H7 |
Temperature (°C) |
-35 |
Temperature (°F) |
-30 |
Height |
15-20 m |
Spread |
10-15 m |
General Description |
Very rounded, broad form with low growing branches. Very dense light-dark green foliage, medium-coarse in leaf, with orange autumn colour. Small green-yellow flowers are borne in panicles. Bark is grey and fissured. The fruit is light brown, prickly, and dehiscent. |
Landscape |
A tree better left in it’s natural environment, Aesculus glabra is a good tree for parks, potentially golf courses and other large areas, but not a great street tree and would not be suited for a small residential landscape. |
Cultivation |
Aesculus glabra is an easily grown tree given well drained, loamy type soils. |
Shape |
Rounded, broad, sometimes conical, and very dense. Pyramidal-rounded to oval-rounded in youth. |
Growth |
Medium |
ID Characteristic |
Disinctive shiny green palmate leaves turn vibrant orange in autumn. Aesculus glabra is the only American Buckeye with prickly fruit. |
Pests |
Antracnose is the most serious disease afflicting the glabra species. Powdery mildew, leaf spot, wood rot, canker, leaf blotch, Comstock mealy bug, Japanese beetle, bagworm, walnut scale and flat-headed borer issues have been reported. |
Bark/Stem Description |
Ash-grey, deeply fissured, corky-warty, scaly, platy older trunks, newer growth pubescent becoming glabrous ash grey to red-brown, with unappealing odour when bruised. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
Brown coloured, ovoid, terminal, sessile, imbricate, approximately 2 cm long, prominently keeled scales, tomentose margins, lateral buds much smaller. |
Leaf Description |
Opposite, palmately compound, five leaflets each, rarely seven, elliptic to obovate leaflet shape, 5-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, finely serrate, cuneate, pubescent underside when young, becomes glabrous with maturity, medium to dark green colour. |
Flower Description |
Perfect, small, greenish-yellow, with protruding stamens, approximately 2 cm long, 4 petalled, borne in conical panicles, flowers early-mid May. |
Fruit Description |
Light-brown, broadly obovoid, dehiscent capsule, 2-4 cm long, echinate covering, seeds are poisonous and solitary. |
Colour Description |
Medium to dark green leaf colour, turns a vibrant orange in autumn, greenish yellow flowers. |
Texture Description |
Medium to coarse when in full foliage, coarse in dormancy. |
Notable Specimens |
Hamburger University, DuPage, Illinois, 22 meters tall with a 21 meter spread. |
Propagation |
Seed should be stratified in a moist medium for 120 days at 5°C. Aesculus seeds should be collected when seeds show signs of dehiscence. Seeds are best sown in autumn; cover seeds with a depth equal to the seeds size. |