Leaf: Opposite, palmately compound with 5 to 7 leaflets; each leaflet with a drawn out, long pointed tip, tapering to the base, between 2 1/2 and 6 inches (6.25 to 15 cm) long; unevenly saw-toothed along the edges; upper surface yellow-green and smooth; paler and often hairy beneath; leafstalks slender, nearly stalk less; turning orange or yellow in autumn; crushed leaves having disagreeable odor.
Flower: Large showy clusters up to 12 inches (30 cm) long; blooming in April and May; each flower 3/4 to 1 inch (2 to 2.5 cm) long, narrowly bell-shaped, with 4 equal pale yellow or greenish-yellow petals; long stamens; different flowers being of variable length.
Fruit: Spiny husk, weak-thorned when young, warty thorns later; up to 1.5 inches (3.75 cm) in diameter; single or in clusters; pale to golden brown; bigger and more obvious in mid- to late summer, ripening September to October; with 1 to 3 large, dark brown, poisonous seeds.
Twig: Stout, smooth, pale brown or reddish-brown, becoming hairless; leaf scars opposite, triangular with 3 groups of bundle traces; buds ovoid, pointed, reddish-brown to yellowish, not hairy, not sticky, up to 2/3 inch (1.7 cm) long; emitting foul smell when broken or crushed.
Bark: Younger bark gray to pale gray, or ash-gray; older bark somewhat variable, but becoming broken into subtle flaky ridges with maturity, developing more prominent fissures and long plates with age.
Form: Medium tree
to 55 feet (16.5 meters) tall; trunk diameter up to 15 inches (38
cm); crown broadly rounded.
Discussion
The scientific name of the Ohio Buckeye tree is Aesculus glabra. The genus name Aesculus is Latin for a kind of oak with edible acorns, and the word was appropriated by Linnaeus. Glabra, the species name, means smooth. The alernate name fetid buckeye refers to the unpleasant odor emitted from almost any bruised part of the tree. Native Americans called the tree "hetuck" which meant "eye-of-the-buck". The large brown seeds with the light tan spot does somewhat resemble a deer's eye.
Ohio buckeye is native to the midwestern and Great Plains states. It can survive severe winters and its branches are relatively unscathed by sleet and heavy snow. In colder climates the young spring leaves may be killed by late frosts .
The seeds, young leaves, and bark of the Ohio buckeye are poisonous. However, squirrels can tolerate the seeds and the large flower clusters host bees and butterflies. Livestock that eat the young sprouts when other vegetation is lacking have become ill or have died. It is reported that all animals do not suffer the same symptoms after consuming parts of the tree.
One resource stated that Native Americans used the toxic properties of the buckeye to gather fish! Apparently the fishermen threw powdered buckeye seed into small pools and collected the stunned fish that came to the surface.
Pioneers thought that carrying a buckeye in a pocket would bring good luck and keep rheumatism away. Children still collect buckeyes for good luck in rural America, though the toxic nature of the seed makes this seem ill-advised. Early settlers ground up buckeyes and mixed the resulting flour with soft soap to make a cure for hog cholera. Baked, ground buckeye flour mixed with water made a useful library paste that repelled insects.
Buckeye wood is too soft and light for standard lumber uses, though it has been used for paper pulp, wooden ware, drawing boards, crates, light furniture, boxes, flooring, and musical instruments. Around the time of the American Civil War, wood from Ohio buckeye was used to make lightweight artificial limbs and caskets.
Ohio buckeye is not recommended for streetsides or urban lots because it drops too many twigs, leaves, and large fruits. However, it is a good choice for native plantings and woodland areas.
The state of Ohio has adopted the
buckeye as its state tree and is nicknamed "The Buckeye State".
The largest Ohio buckeye tree
recorded is 85 feet (25.5 meters) and 9 feet, 9 inches (2.7 m, 23 cm) in circumference.
Distinguishing Characteristics
The Ohio Buckeye has non-sticky buds, differing from the horse chestnut. The Ohio Buckeye can be distinguished from the red buckeye by the Ohio's greenish-yellow flowers and prickly fruit.
Distribution
Pennsylvania across to Nebraska, south to Oklahoma, and east to Alabama; usually rich moist soils of valleys, ravines, and slopes, also on drier sites; sometimes a thicket-forming shrub on stream banks; in mixed hardwood forests.
Images
Click each small picture to see a larger image.
Location
GPS
reading:
Description of location:
Copyright
Photos © 2003 Carlinville High School, linke@carlinvilleschools.net
References
Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 1996. Forest trees of Illinois. 8th ed. Illinois Dept. of Conservation Publications, Springfield. 331 pp.
Petrides, George A. 1988. A field guide to eastern trees. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 272 pp.
Petrides, George A. 1972. A field guide to trees and shrubs. 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 428 pp.
Little, Elbert L. 1980. National Audubon Society field guide to North American trees. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 714 pp.
Grimm, William C. 1967. Familiar trees of America. Harper and Row, New York. 240 pp.
Ohio Division of
Forestry, Ohio Department of Natural
Resources. Accessed 12/03
http://www.ohiodnr.com/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/buckeyeohio.htm
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/ODNR/Education/ohiotrees/buckeyeohio.htm
Robert
D. Williams. Northeastern Area, USDA
Forest Service. Accessed 12/03
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/aesculus/glabra.htm
Forest
Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois). Accessed 12/03
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb266.htm
Veterinary
Medicine Library, University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign. Accessed 12/03
http://door.library.uiuc.edu/vex//toxic/buckeye/buckeye.htm
Virginia Tech
Forestry Department Accessed 12/03
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/aglabra.htm
Kemper Center for Home Gardening, Missouri Botanical Garden
http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/kemperweb/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A845