Yellow Buckeye – Aesculus flava

 

Nomenclature

  • Aesculus flava
  • Family: Hippocastanaceae

 

Botany and Ecology:

  • Tree height: 50’- 90’
  • Tree diameter: 2’- 3’
  • Leaves are broad, flat, and palmately compound with fine teeth
  • Fruit is enclosed by a thick husk
  • Grows best in stream valleys and on lower slopes
  • Distribution:
    • United States: AL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

 

Uses:

  • Edible:
    • The fruit is poisonous to humans
    • The seeds are sweet but must have toxins leached out before consuming such as by roasting
    • Flowers contain a sweet nectar
  • Other:
    • Saponins in the seeds can be used as a soap substitute

 

Conservation:

 

Markets and Vendors:

 

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