Scientific Name:
Aesculus chinensis
Pronunciation:
ESS-kew-lus chye-NEN-sis
Common Name:
Chinese horse chestnut
Family Name:
Sapindaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves palmately compound with 5-7(-9) elliptic-obovate leaflets 13-20(-30)cm long, bright green in spring, petiolules 0.5-3cm long; panicles up to 40cm long, floret about 2cm wide, petals 4, white with yellow spots, pistil about 2cm long (long style); capsules smooth, oval-round, about 3cm wide, not-like but then splits along carpel lines to release 1(-2) red-brown seed. Winter ID: buds brown and sticky, opposite, small compared to other chestnuts; leaf scar large, with 7 distinct bundle scars grouped 2+3+2.
Habit:
Open, Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (northern China)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Specimen plant, Spring interest, Summer interest (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Heavily veined, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Digitate (palmate)
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Brown
Shapes:
Elliptic, Lanceolate, Obovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Double serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Thyrse, Floriferous, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Tubular
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White (pink and yellow spots on some petals)
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
20 to 50 florets per panicle (actually a thyrse because the branches are cymose)
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, only 1 to 5 develop per panicle; spiny and nut-like but splits along carpel lines to release a single (rarely 2 or 3) seed
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
U-shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Grafting
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Stem borer insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
