Aesculus glabra is a medium-sized, native Ohio tree, typically found on moist stream banks, but which tolerates moderate drought. Ohio Buckeye is not a good landscape plant because of various aesthetic limitations, but is appropriate in naturalistic plantings of the Midwestern U.S.
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F E A T U R E S |
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Form
-small tree of central states, chiefly of Ohio and Mississippi Valley regions, 30-50' in height, 2-3' in diameter
-oval-rounded form
-branches droop as the tree grows
-generally
symmetrical |
Foliage
-opposite arrangement
-palmately compound with 5 nearly elliptical, serrate leaflets 4-6" long
-petiole 3-5" long, but no petiolules
-dark green above, light green below
-one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring and drops its leaves early in the autumn
-autumn color is orange to red, if the leaves remain on the tree and have not dropped by late summer due to leaf scorch and other foliar problems |
Flowers
-white to greenish yellow
-upright spikes 4-6" long
-early to mid-May
-fairly showy |
Fruit
-1-2" seed capsule, somewhat spiny with 1-5 non-edible seeds (nuts) inside |
Twig
-gray stout stems have prominent brown leaf scars, and a prominent terminal bud that is non-resinous
-gray branches become rough or lightly furrowed with age |
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Trunk
-short and knotty
-bark ash-grey, scaly plates |
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C U L T
U R E
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Culture
-grows best in deep fertile soils, will usually reach maturity in 60-80 yrs.
-full sun but tolerates partial shade
-tolerates a wide range of soil conditions; all types of textures, acidic to slightly alkaline, wet soils moderate drought
-susceptible to diseases (leaf spot, leaf blotch, leaf scorch, and powdery mildew) and pests that affect most Aesculus; but particularly susceptible to summer leaf scorch under landscape conditions
-rare in the trade
-considered difficult to transplant |
Hardiness
-zones 4 to 7
Origin
-native to the Eastern U.S. (Western Pennsylvania to Texas)
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U S A G E |
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Assets
-a native Ohio tree of special significance to OSU Alumni
-one of the few (the only one?) botanical mascots in our sports-crazed society
Liabilities
-subject to leaf blotch, powdery mildew, and leaf scorch
-one of the earliest trees to drop its leaves in autumn, messy |
Function
-shade tree, specimen
-appropriate in "natural landscapes" for the Midwestern U.S.
-not appropriate as a street tree
Texture
-coarse texture when bare
-medium texture in leaf
-dense |
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S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
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Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-large shade trees that have showy flowers (Aesculus x carnea, Aesculus glabra, Aesculus hippocastanum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia grandiflora, etc.)
-large trees with nuts that attract wildlife (members of the genera Aesculus, Carya, Castanea, Corylus, Fagus, Juglans, Quercus, etc.) |