Aesculus glabra
Ohio Buckeye (Fetid Buckeye)
Mature Size, Growth, Longevity
Average mature size of 20-40' tall and 20-40' wide. Pyramidal-rounded to oval-rounded habit. Medium growth rate, 7-10' over a 6-8 year period.
Native Range
Pennsylvania to Nebraska, Kansas and Alabama. Cultivated 1809.
Flower and Fruit Details
Flowers are perfect, greenish yellow, 1" long, 4 petaled, borne in early to mid-May, in 4-7" long by 2 to 3" wide terminal panicles. Fruits are light brown capsules, dehiscent, 1-2" long, broadly obovoid, with a prickly cover similar to common horsechestnut. The seeds, "buckeyes," are usually borne solitary.
Leaf and Bark Features
Leaves opposite, palmately compound with 5 leaflets, rarely 7, elliptic to obovate, 3-6" long, 1-2.25" wide, pubescent beneath when young, nearly glabrous at maturity, medium to dark green; petiole-approximately 3-6" long. Fall color is often yellow but at times develops a brilliant orange-red to reddish brown. Bark is ashy-gray, thick, deeply fissured and plated, scaly.
Culture and Care
Transplant balled and burlapped into moist, deep, well-drained, slightly acid soil; tends to develop leaf scorch and prematurely drops leaves in hot, droughty situations; prune in early spring. Zones 4-7. Susceptible to leaf spot, wood rot, anthracnose, canker, walnut scale, comstock mealybug, white-marked tussock moth, Japanese beetle, bagworm, flat-headed borer.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts
Tends to develop leaf scorch and prematurely drop leaves in hot, droughty situations.
Suggested Uses
Use in natural settings, good for parks and large areas.