Scientific Name: Aesculus flava
Common Name: yellow buckeye
Family Name: Sapindaceae
Origin: U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Zone: Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Plant Type: Tree - deciduous
Mature Size: 15 - 22m x 10 - 15m (height x width)
Habit: Upright
Form: Round
Texture: Coarse
Landscape Uses: Specimen plant, Spring interest, Street (boulevard tree), Summer interest
Exposure: Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil or Media: Humus rich
Leaves: Compound, Opposite, Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Glabrous, Digitate (palmate), Elliptic, Obovate, Serrate
Flowers: Thyrse, Yellow, Apr-May
Fruit: Capsule, Brown, Sep-Oct
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, palmately compound, leaflets 5(-7), elliptic-obovate, most 10-20cm long x 3-7cm wide, margin sharply serrate, petioles can be long than the leaflet; thyrse erect, 10-15cm long, florets 2.5-4cm long x 5-9mm wide, tubular, 4 yellow petals; capsules smooth and rounded 4-6cm wide with (1-)2 seeds or "buckeyes" surrounded by a leathery light brown husk. Winter ID: large terminal flower buds (not sticky and lighter colour compared to horse chestnut).