aesculus

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AESCULUS
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Aesculus x arnoldiana (A. pavia x (A. glabra x A. flava))
or: said to be some combination of A. flava, A. glabra, and A. pavia as are other hybrids or
or: perhaps the same as A. x marilandica x A. pavia
lsp: Morton Arboretum received from Arnold Arb. in 1936

Aesculus x arnoldiana 'Autumn Splendor'
lc: dark green
afc: dark red, very showy
lt: scorch resistant foliage in northern US states
fc: yellowish-green
ns: considered by some to belong to this hybrid ((glabra x flava) x pavia) while others state it is
ns: ordinary A. flava without hybrid influence.
li: Bergmann, B.A. and H.M. Pellett. 1989. Aesculus 'Autumn Splendor'.
li: Hortscience 24(1): 180-181.

Aesculus assamica vs. A. chinensis varieties (character states based on Nianhe and Turland cited below)

Aesculus assamica Griffith (A. chuniana, A. lantsangensis, A. megaphylla, A. polyneura, A. punduana, A. rupicola, A. wangii, A. tsiangii)
ht: to 32m in wild
st: branches puberulent at first, later subglabrous to glabrous
pet: petiole 8.0-30.0cm long, petiolules 0.3-1.5cm, occasionally subsessile
lt: 5-9 leaflets
lv: sparsely puberbulent to glandular at first then subglabrous to glabrous above, finely pilose on veins below
ls: leaflets oblong-lanceolagte to oblong-oblanceolate, sometimes lanceolate or oblanceolate
ll, lw: leaflets 12-25cm long x 5-18cm wide
lc: dark glossy green
la: leaflets acuminate to caudate
lb: leaflets broadly cuneate to rotund
lm: crenulate to serrulate
veins: 17-30 pairs
infl: thyrse of 25-45cm tall x 5-14cm wide
fc: corolla white to light yellow, spotted purple to brown, some orange marks possible near the base
fd: petals 13-22mm long x 3-7mm wide
ff: fragrant
frc: yellowish-brown at maturity
frd: 5-7cm wide
frd: ovoid to obovoid, subglobose to flat globose
frt: capsule surface smooth but spotted
ns, id: the numerous micro-variants (most from Hu and W.P. Fang) are too inconsistant and unreliable to retain
id: it is easily distinguished from A. turbinata by the smooth capsule - the capsule is verrucose or warted in A. turbinata
geo: Sikkim, Guangxi, Guizhou, Zizang, Yunnan, Bhutan, NE India, Bangladesh, Laos, Myanmatr, Thailand, N Vietnam
ch: unknown, probably USDA 8 as it is native to tropical and subtropical forests. There is certainly an opportunity to
ch: find and test more cold hardy variants in gardens, given the widespread distribution of the species.
li: Griffith. 1854. Not. Pl. Asiat. 4: 540 (as A. assamicus)
li: Nianhe, X. and N.J. Turland. 2005. Hippocastanaceae. Flora of China vol. 12 (undated draft version)

Aesculus x balgiana Ed. Andre, Rev. Hort. 1894: 246
ns: a listed name. It is not reported today in 2005 and cannot yet to linked to modern garden taxa.

x bushii - click image
Horticultural Test Gardens, Cornell Plantations, Ithaca, NY. August 2005. The label indicates it was obtained from the now defunct Windrose Nursery in 1996. The highly textured leaf and
knobby, irregular fruit are quite interesting. This is a cross of a smooth-fruited species (A. pavia) and a prickled one (A. glabra). The small, woody prickles are clearly evident in this
hybrid.

Aesculus x bushii Schneid. (A. glabra x A. pavia) (A. mississippiensis Sarg.)
ha: small tree
fc: corolla yellow, pink, and red
frt: irregularly subglobose, distinctly prickled in cultivated examples or at least distributed by Windrose Nursery.
so: Mallet Court Nursery (online catalog 2005)

Aesculus californica - click image to enlarge
Note the young plant of it's cultivar 'Canyon Pink' to the lower right.

Aesculus californica
ha: subglobose to more spreading with age
bk: grey to light silver, very showy in older, mature trees and these can be somewhat beech-like for winter effect
ld: frequently defoliating in dry summers. At the Raulston Arboretum (USDA 7) this has been discomforting as it appears dead in July
ld: and quite without any hope. Yet it fully unfolds in early April (earlier than most species) and with full redemption.
lt: 5 leaflets
ll: leaflets 3.0-6.0 in. long
fc: white to light pink.
infl: panicels 4.0 - 8.0 in. long x 1.5-2.5 in. wide - very narrow and bottle-brush like - quite simple and lean by the standards of more cold hardy species
ch: USDA 7
lu: while very adapted to drought and a sure hit in CA, the early summer defoliation (by genetics not disease) will scare off any buyer or grower in zones 7-8

Aesculus californica 'Blue Haze'
ns: a listed name from the UK from Spinners Gardens, Hampshire before 2004.

californica 'Canyon Pink' - click image
Same plant as above but a closeup shot in spring 2004.

Aesculus californica 'Canyon Pink' (5/3)
fc: light to blush pink. See two photos above for contrast. The species can be light pink in the wild and this is best clone to date (2005) for this pigmentation.

Aesculus californica 'Grant's Ruby' (11/02)
fc: apparently dark red (assumed)
lsp: JC Raulston Arboretum received 11/2000 from Arborvillage, Holt MO USA

Aesculus x carnea 'Aurea' provisional name
ns: a listed name from Greer Gardens, OR USA for a variant with golden new growth. Latin form is surely post-1959 and not valid.

'Aureo-marginata' - click image
Juniper Level Botanical Gardens, Raleigh, NC USA. Spring 2004. Plant was labeled as "variegated" and not this cultivar.

Aesculus x carnea 'Aureo-marginata'
lc: margined yellow, leaves often deformed due to chimeral variability

Aesculus x carnea 'Batouwe'
ns: a listed name from Hillier Arboretum 2005. Description needed.

Aesculus x carnea 'Big Boy'
ns: a listed name from the Dawes Arboretum (online collection list 2001)

Aesculus x carnea 'Briotii'
infl: larger than hybrid species typical
fc: petals darker red than most seedlings. It gives a nice orange-red or perhaps vermillion look overall.
or: Trianon, Versaille, France in 1858

Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair'
ht: 40-50 ft. tall x 30 ft. wide
fc: dark pink overall, less yellow than some clones such as 'Rosea' (compare to photo below).
inflor: 6-8 in. tall
lc: darker green, very durable in some areas
afc: said to green rather than the usual ugly brown shades
dr: leaves generally free of disease blemishes
or: found at Ft. McNair Park in Washington DC before 1991
so: source (Aesthetic Gardens)
so: source (Forest Farm)

Aesculus x carnea 'Marginata' ('Foliis Marginatis')
lc: margined darker green with lighter green center and yellow band separately the two green zones.
ns: Yokoi and Hirose in their book on variegated plants describe it as white margined.

Aesculus x carnea 'O'Neill Red'
fd: panicle 10-12 in. long - larger than many
fc: bright red, lacking the more pink tints
lc: glossy dark green, superior to hybrid species as typical for durability and color
in; Monrovia Nursery, CA USA 1979 to US trade

'Owen's Red' - click image
Juniper Level Botanical Garden, Raleigh, NC. Spring 2004. This cultivar is richer than 'Rosea' and perhaps more uniformly colored than 'Fort McNair'.

Aesculus x carnea 'Owen's Red'
fc: rich rose-red and yellow, one of the brighter clones to date.

Aesculus x carnea 'Pendula'
ha: stiffly weeping
or: known from Kew Gardens since about 1902.

Aesculus x carnea 'Plantierensis' (A. x plantierensis Andre)
fc: pink or white tinged pink
pet: sessile as A. hippocastanum
or: A. hippocastanum x A. carnea cross at Simon-Louis Freres Nursery, Metz, France, apparently named for the nearby town of Plantieres. Perhaps known as early
or: as 1843 according to Jacobsen. It is curious that introduction may have waited until 1890.
in: Europe 1890. Jacobsen says it
in: reached the US in 1912.
gen: hexaploid, sterile
ns: it is simply a backcross of A. hippocastanum (a seedling of it) to A. x carnea (pollen parent). Such backcrosses cannot warrant a
ns: new hybrid species name such as A. x plantierensis. This still falls within the original recipe!
frq: fruit absent due to ploidy level

Aesculus x carnea 'Rosea'
fc: corolla more richly colored pink than hybrid species typical, having a contrasting scarlet blotch. Blooms
fc: are also yellow spotted pink with a golden blotch at another stage.

Aesculus chinensis - click image
Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, Duke University, NC. July 2004. A young but impressively strong tree with huge leaves and a rigid substance.It is a pretty white-flowered tree with age. It
remains to be determined if this example is referrable to var. chinensis or even A. turbinata.

Aesculus chinensis var. chinensis
ht: 80-90 ft.
st: glabrous or only slightly pubescent
bud: resinous in winter
ls: leaflets obovate to narrowly oblong
lt: 5, sometimes 7 leaflets
ll: leaflets 5.0-8.0 in. long
lb: narrowly to broadly cuneate
lv: mostly glabrous when mature, perhaps only a bit of hair on the veins below. Var. wilsonii
lv: is notably pubescent below (especially on the veins) with age.
lm: evenly dentate
infl: panicle, 4 petals per flower
fd: pancile 8.0-14.0 in. long x 2.0-4.0 wide
fc: petals white
fd: petals 0.5-0.75 in. wide
stamens: longer than petals, that is, exerted
frs: fruit subglobose, truncate or flat near the apex
frd: fruit about 2.0 in. wide
frvest: fruit rough, never spinose
geo: northern China
in: Purdom collected near Pekin, sent to the Arnold Arb. It reached the trade about 1912
id: in Europe plants under this name may prove to be A. turbinata, a plant with leaves easily to 14-16 in. long

Aesculus chinensis var wilsonii - click image
JC Raulston Arboretum. Summer 2005. Labeled as A. wilsonii

Aesculus chinensis var. wilsonii (Rehd.) Turland & N.H. Xia
ht: 60-80 ft. (estimated)
lb: broadly cuneate, rotund to subcordate, less tapered than var. chinensis which is clearly cuneate to some degree.
pet: petiolules (leaflet stalk) shorter than A. chinensis (0.2-0.6 in.)
lv: downy pubescent at first, subglabrous later, overall more pubescent than var. chinensis
lt: Bean reports this spedies has up to 22 veins pairs per leaflet (very numerous), more than A. chinensis
ft: floral stalks very downy pubescent compared to A. chinensis
infl: racemes of 10-16 in. long
frs: ovoid to pear-shaped
frt: husk is much thinner than A. chinensis
geo, in: Wilson to US from Szechwan and Hupeh 1908. It occurs in a more southern range than
geo, in: A. chinensis as we know it today.
li: Rehder, A. in Sargent, C. 1913. Pl. Wils. 1: 498
li: Turland, N.J. and N.H. Xia. 2005. Novon 15: xxx (apparently in press)

+Aesculus dallimorei Sealy (graft hybrid of A. hippocasanum and A. flava)
ll, ls: much like A. hippocastanum
lv: rusty tomentose on veins below
la: more acuminate than A. hippocastanum
infl: similar to A. hippocastanum in appearance
ft: petals 4, intermediate to both parents. A. hippocastanum has 5 petals. The petals are more erect than A. flava.
fc: petals mostly like A. hippocastanum in being white with red markings, some show yellow and greenish tints from A. flava.
ns, id: this plant was found by Kew's William Dallimore ner his hme in Bidborough, Kent, England. It has been considered a "graft hybrid" (fused tissues) between A. flava and A. hippocastanum. If so,
ns, id: it is a "vegetative hybrid" rather than the familiar "sexual hybrid" involving pollen and ovaries. Some suggest the tree was simply a sprout from hybrid understock and not a strange
ns, id: mysterous fusion of tissues, which admittedly has occured in other genera. However, no sexual hybrid of A. hippocastanum and A. flava is reported to date and certainly not back then.
li: Sealy, JR. 1956. Journ. RHS 71: 420-423.

Aesculus discolor Pursh.
ht: shrub to small tree, similar to A. pavia
lv: notably downy pubescent below - not so glabrous as A. pavia. However some
lv: botanists consider this species to be part of A. pavia with a variation in leaf
lv: vestiture. They certainly intergrade in the wild.
fc: corolla yellow and red together

Aesculus discolor var. mollis (Raf.) Sarg. (A. austrina Small)
fc: mostly red, not as yellow as var. discolor

Aesculus x dupontii Sarg. (A. flava x (A. pavia x sylvatica))
fc: yellow tinged red or yellowish-red
ld: more leaf retention in summer at Longwood gardens than other taxa in the genus
or: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA USA when it was a Dupont estate c. 1929, a tree of 90 feet once was there.
ns: For those doing the math at home the second parent A. pavia x A. sylvatica is also
ns: known as A. x mutabilis, hence this amounts to A. flava x A. mutabilis.
lsp: Arnold Arboretum received from Herman Hesse Nursery, Germany in 1929. The AA 1957
lsp: plant was propagated from that original introduction. They also received this taxon from H.A. Dupont
lsp: of Wilmington, DE in 1951 and that is surely his Longood Gardens tree. The Hesse clone may
lsp: be what is called 'Hessei' today. They also obtained a plant in 1929 from T.G. Harbison. It is unclear
lsp: if their Harbison stock is A. 'Harbisonii' (see below) but is listed under A. x dupontii today.

Aesculus x dupontii 'Hessei'
ns: a listed name from Hillier Arboretum and european collections. Presumably from Hesse Nursery, Germany.
ns: it should be noted that A. x dupontii was received from Hesse by the Arnold Arboretum in 1929 and this could be
ns: the same plant. As they also had plants from Mr. H.A. Dupont we suspect this epithet may have been used
ns: to differentiate the German clone. In any event, the hybrid species name published by Sargent seems to have priority.

Aesculus flava - click images
Morris Arboretum, PA USA. June 2005. A very large, old, lovely example where the lower limbs have been allowed to trail to the
ground. The tree was very fruitful. The bark is quite interesting when this old.

Gettysburg National Cemetary, PA USA. August 2005. Four shots from among 4 old, notable trees there. I first noted the mildew among some leaves. Then I noted they are
darker green than many public examples (the Morris Arb. tree above excepted). Likely all these trees are well cared for and fertilized more than is common for the species, which is
often quite a pale green and limey green in city parks and in the wild. Compare these to the f. vestita picture below. One of the Gettysburg trees seemed to have larger (2.5.-3.0 in. wide),
deformed fruit but I was unable to count any seeds. If the trees are as well tended as I suspect (this being one of the nation's most visited resting places), it is concievable that the optimum
fertilizer makes for both larger fruit and darker foliage. Of the four trees there, the one bark picture shown here was a bit more orange than the others and much more so than the
old Morris Arb. tree. I'd certainly like to see a tree breeder look for more orange in the bark of hybrids of this species. It certainly has ornamental potential for folks with some patience. LCH.

Aesculus flava Solander (A. octandra Marshall, A. lutea Wanggenh.)
ht: 50-90 ft. tall - most garden plants are in the lower range, but an oldie at Kew reaches 75 ft. (per Bean)
bk: dark brown to light grey, seemingly variable. Very old trees have grey colors with underlying light amber sections to varying degrees.
lt: 5-7 leaflets per leaf
ls: leaflets obovate to broadly oval
ll: leaflets 3-7 in. long x 1-3 in. wide
lm: finely serrate
lc: often a light, even yellowish-green. Highly tended arboretum trees may be medium green due to nitrogen care.
lv: subglabrous except for being pubescent reddish-brown, downy on veins below
inf: panicle 5-7 in. long x 2-3 in. wide
fc: corolla yellow
ft: 4 petals per flowers, stamens shorter than petals and often hidden by them
frs: subglobose, oblique, smooth surface or slight pitted as citrus.
frc: light tan to light brown
frd: 2.0-2.5 in. long
seed: 2 per fruit
geo: eastern and midwestern US, common from PA to TN over to GA, OH, and IL
in: Europe in 1764
ns: The species has long been called A. octandra. It has been determined that A. flava was
ns: published by Solander as early as 1778 and not in 1789 as once thought. It therefore
ns: precedes A. flava publ;sihed by Marshall in 1785.

Aesculus flava f. vestita (Sarg.) Fern. - click image
Highland Park Arboretum, Rochester NY. August 2005. Planted about 1907 as are surrounding trees. The example was labeled A. octandra var. vestita as would be expected
from that time. It was such a tall example no lower foliage could be found for imaging. Compared to the dark Bauman, Japanese, and hybrid A. x hemicantha nearby it was such a
bright lime green foliage that the contrast was very impressive.

Aesculus flava f. vestita (Sarg.) Fern.
lv, st: leaflets below and stems much more downy
geo: said to have been found in various regions in the wild.

Aesculus flava f. virginica (Sarg.) Fern.
fc: corolla cream tinged pink or red
geo: known from WV, USA. It is not always thought to be a hybrid but just a pigment variations. However
geo: it may well be dervied from A. x hybrida similar to lighter var. purpurascens. The creamy A. flava and the
geo: red A. pavia do cross in the wild and this could be such a southern US cross.
ns: botanists and modern botanical databases lump it with the species or typical variety.

Aesculus glabra var. arguta (Buck.) Robinson is an interesting compact tree or large shrub for home gardens. The light greenish-yellow flowers are subtle but the foliage quality is good. It is often very fruitful in gardens and that will keep the wildlife going. The leaflets are rich, bright green, narrower than the species var. glabra. I would not go planting a big patch of them, giving the Cannabinoid look of the foliage. But if you want a nice native American tree for a small garden, this is a nice pick. Click image to enlarge. LCH

Aesculus glabra var. arguta - click image
JC Raulston Arboretum. September 2005. Same tree as photographed but in fruit. Note the prickled and warted fruit that is so different from A. flava.

Aesculus glabra var. arguta (Buck.) Robinson (A. arguta Buck.)
ht: 15-30 ft. tall - var. glabra can reach 50-70 ft. in time
ha: small tree to low shrub, generally a semi-dwarf tree. Sargent reported that it can be
ha: a prostrate shrub due to the weight of the numerous fruit.
lt: 5-7 (9) leaflets, sometimes 11, generally more numerous
ls: leaflets elliptic to narrowly obovate
ll, lw: leaflets 3-6 in. long 1.0-1.5 in. wide
lv: downy pubescent when young
lm: serrate to double serrate
infl: pyramidal panicle. The variant seen in US gardens has a larger panicle than many examples of the
infl: typical var. or species. Thus this variety has come to represent an improved form for gardeners.
fc: light yellow with orange markings inside
frt: husks rough, rugose, and bumpy, having short prickles of a several mm long - shorter than A. hippocastanum
lc: plants we have seen are always a lighter, brighter shade of green than most other taxa in the genus.
geo: east TX USA
ns, id: this taxon is considered a smaller, dwarfer version of the species, also distinguished
ns, id: by narrower leaflets.
in: cultivated since 1909, reported in 1860

Aesculus glabra 'Klein's Weeping' (11/03)
ht: 25 ft. tall x 20 ft. wide (original tree)
ha: strongly weeping
or: Theodore Klein from a notable tree in a Jeffersonville IN USA yard
so: Pendulousplants.com (online catalog 2003)

Aesculus glabra var. leucodermis Sarg.
bk: much smoother, light gray to near white, not as scaly or plated as typical variety
lv: more glabrous than some forms
geo: southern MS and AR, USA

Aesculus glabra var. monticola Sarg.
lt: leaflets more numerous, often 6-7
frs: more rounded or globose
geo: OK, USA
ns: some botanists lump this with the typical variety or species typical

Aesculus glabra var. nana
ht: 4-6 ft. tall x 4-6 ft. wide
ha: dwarf, shrub, subglobose
fq: blooms as young plants, hence a good garden subject
ns, id: this taxon is unclear to us, perhaps related to dwarfer var. arguta or var. sargentii
prop: said to come true from seed
geo: known from Douglas Co., GA USA
in, so: Woodlanders, sold by them since 1995 or before

Aesculus glabra 'October Red'
ns: a listed name from the UK, comparison to 'Fall Red' is indicated.

Aesculus glabra f. pallida (Willd.) Schelle (A. pallida Willd)
lv: folaige very light and pubescent with age, not becoming as glabrous as f. glabra (typical)
geo: midwestern US states

Aesculus glabra var. sargentii (var. arguta Robins not Buck., var. buckleyi Sarg.)
lt: 6-7 leaflets
la, lb: more acuminate, pointed leaflets - similar to true var. arguta Buck.
lm: doubly serrate
geo, id: Bean states it is not the dwarfer var. arguta from Texas but was found from OH to OK, USA. It is
geo, id: more midwestern while the var. glabra extends to eastern states also. Jacobson (1996) considers
geo, id: it part of A. arguta Buck.

Aesculus glabra x A. flava = Aesculus x marylandica Booth ex Kirch.

Aesculus glabra x A. pavia = Aesculus x bushii Schneid.

Aesculus glaucescens Sarg. (A. x glaucescens)
ht: 6-30 feet, usually under 15 ft.
ha: shrub to rarely a small tree
st: notably downy pubescent at first
lt: 5 leaflets
ll, lw: leaflets 6-8.5 in. lng x 2.5-3.5 in. wide
lc: bright green
fc: corolla yellow
frd: much larger than A. flava - measurements are not yet found.
lv: very downy below at first - unlike related A. flava. Mature leaves are fairly glaucous below too.
id, ns: some have referred this taxon to A. x neglecta, a cross of A. flava x A. sylvatica
geo: SE USA

Aesculus georgiana Sarg. =perhaps A. x neglecta at times, almost certainly A. sylvatica

Aesculus 'Harbisonii' (A. x mutabilis 'Harbisonii')(A. pavia x A. sylvatica?)
lc: bluish glaucous below
lv: shaggy pubescent new growth
fc: light red
ft: calyx tubular (not true of all seedlings)
infl: pancile 15-20cm long
or: Arnold Arboretum from wild seed of A. sylvatica about 1905, proving to be a hybrid. It
or: might be a hybrid of A. pavia x A.sylvatica and as such we do not include it under
or: A. x mutabilis.

A. x hemiacantha (A. hippocastanum x A. turbinata) - click image
Highland Park Arboretum, Rochester, NY. August 2005. Just across from the Lambert Conservatory near the edge of the Reservoir. The leaves are larger than nearby A. hippocastanum 'Baumannii'.
They are decidedly more dentate than the large example of A. turbinata nearby. In fruit, it seems somewhat intermediate tending towards the Asian species, not smooth as A. turbinata and not prickly
as A. hippocastanum, just a a bit of rough bumps and tiny projections. The intermediacy of fruit and foliage is good enough evidence for me at this point. I'd love to see the flowers but the famous
Lilac Festival (held a few paces away) makes the availability of parking and hotels a nearly unobtainable thing. LCH.

A. x hemiacantha (A. hippocastanum x A. turbinata)
ns, lsp: a listed name from the European nursery trade c. 2003. In early 2005 we surveyed North American collections and found
ns, lsp: no plants of this name. Imagine the joy at finding a plant labeled A. hippocastanum x turbinata (in abundant fruit) at the old
ns, lsp: Highland Park Arboretum in Rochester NY in August 2005! As the nearby trees date to 1907 it is surely about the same
ns, lsp: age or nearly a full century. Curiously I have not yet seen this name in US catalogs or collection lists (9/2005). There are
ns, lsp: about 25 references on the internet to this name now, all European.

Aesculus hippocastanum
ht: 20-30m
tw: twigs villous at first
lt: 5-7 leaflets
pet: leaflets sessile (no petiolule)
lv: glabrous to subglabrous (few white hairs) above, notably ferruginous (rusty brown hairy) below in young leaves
la: leaflets acuminate to subcaudate
lb: cuneate
veins: 18-25 pairs
lm: crenate to serrate, sometimes crenulate to serrulate (more fine)
ll, lw: leaflets 10-25cm long x 5-12cm wide
infl: conical or cylindrical thyrse of 10-30cm long x 6-10cm wide, 4-12 flowers each
fc: corolla white spotted red, claw yellow becoming brownish
ft: 4-5 petals
frc: capsule brown
frc: capsule subglobose to globose
frd: capsule 3-6cm wide
frt: capsule notably furnished with large, slightly curved prickles - hence a favorite weapon of young and not so young children
seeds: 1-3, occasionally 5-6. Multiple seeds are more common here than many species above.
geo: SE Europe, widely cultivated throughout the temperate countries of the world.
id: see chart above A. turbinata for separate from that species.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Albovariegata'
lc: variegated or spotted white, irregularly so and not very showy.
or: cultivated in Europe since 1770

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Asplenifolia' = 'Laciniata'
ls: blades deeply cut, nearly to the midrib with very little laminar tissue.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Aurea'
lc: new growth golden-yellow, becoming green
or: Scanlon Nursery, OH USA c. 1950, sold in the 60's but probably not after this
ns: Jacobson (1996) knows of no publication of this Latin name prior to 1959 so
ns: it remains doubtful. If the clone is recovered it should be renamed. That said,
ns: 'Hampton Court Gold' and 'Honiton Gold' from Europe are well proven and must be similar.
li: Jacobson, A.L. 1996. N. Amer. Land. Trees. Tenspeed Press.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Aureovariegata'
ht: finely spotted yellow and irregularly so.
eval: not very showy, for collectors only.

'Baumannii' - click image
Biltmore Estate. May 2003. A very ancient plant over 100 years old, probably dating from Olmsted's original planting in the late 1800's.

'Baumannii'
Biltmore Estate. May 2003. To their credit the people at Biltmore actually sell small plants of this rare cultivar in the garden shop just a few paces from this fine plant.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Baumannii' ('Floreoplena', 'Alboplena', f. beaumannii, f. baumannii, var. baumannii)
ht: 60-100 ft. - this is no small street tree!
ft: full double, sterile
fc: it has a richer, less white or cream color, often fading to a blush pink with visible yellow tints. As they age
fc: the flowers are fluffy, pale pink balls on a stalk like a miniature stand full of ready-for-sale cotton candy.
bt: longer blooming than species due to doubleness and sterility.
frq: non-fruiting thus creating no mess on lawns, but also lacking that bit of charm. This feature
frq: is best exploited for street tree use where leaf diseases do not limit it.
or: Baumann 1819 as sport found in Geneva, Switzerland

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Crispa'
ha: more densely pyramidal
ls: leaflets slightly crisped, shorter and wider
or: cultivated in Europe since 1838, rare everywhere.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Digitata' (var. pumila Dipp.)
ha: dwarf
ll: blades much smaller than species typical
ls: leaflets 3 or occasionally 5 as opposed to 5-7 for species
fq: not known to flower
or: thought to be from France before 1864

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Hampton Court Gold'
ha: slower, less vigorous than 'Honiton Gold'
lc: golden yellow

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Honiton Gold' (12/02)
ha: more vigorous than 'Hampton Court Gold', a similar mutation
lc: golden yellow
or: found in hedgerow near Honiton, Devon, England before 2002

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Incisa' ('Henkelii')
ll: smaller leaflets than species typical
ls: mostly 5 leaflets - species is 5-7, margined cut or actually frayed or tattered in appearance.
ns: Krussman states 'Henkelii' may be "remaining green later in the fall, otherwise not particularly
ns: different)
or: Europe before 1840

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Lacinata' ('Asplenifolia')
ha: the narrow cut leaves given an open, airy effect
ls: leaflets narrow, often linear, deeply cut
or: France since 1844

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Lacinata Pendula'
ns: a listed name from Europe for a weeping, cut-leaved variant. It is not characterized in
ns: major literature and is likely lost.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Memmingeri'
lc: creamy yellow pulverulent and striped
or: named Gustav Memminger of Verdum. Origin unknown but before 1855 in Europe.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Monstrosa'
ht: 1.5m in many years, dwarf
ha: irregularly pyramidal
st: twigs with shorter internodes and more buds per length than species
ll: blades smaller than species typical

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Praecox'
lt: leaves appearing 2 weeks before species typical
bt: flowering 10-14 days earlier
ns: several clones are thought to exist.
eval: can be used to extend species effect in gardens but frost damage is possible.
li: James Booth & Sons, Hamburg, Catalog 1838

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Pumila Floreoplena'
ns: a listed name, presumably dwarf and double-flowered. Such combined traits are not
ns: known today so it is likely the clone is extinct.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Pyramidalis' ('Fastigiata', 'Pyramidata'?)
ha: narrowly puramidal, dense, but weak overall. Branches are angled about 45 degrees.
or: Europe before 1900, probably Spath of Germany in 1891-1895 or before from France 1877.
ns, id: Jacobson (1996) thinks it may be a rename of the French 'Pyramidata' known
ns, id: since 1877 from A. Lavallee. If there are two clones they are not yet distinguished.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Rubicunda'
fc: corolla red
ns: an very old name. Almost certainly a hybrid to another species or a selection of one.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Schirnhoferi'
fc: corolla yellowish-red
ft: translated as "full" in Krussman, a word that means double in the case of 'Baumannii'

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Umbraculifera'
ht: dwarf, shrubby, globse, very dense. Best grafted high on standard for umbrella type shape.
or: Europe before 1884.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Wisselink' is a curious mutation only a collector could love. New growth is mostly white, later veined green, then more speckled green, and finally green as the species. This virescent ("becoming green") mutation occurs in many genera of plants including corn (maize) and Hosta. While it looks like a nutrient deficiency to some, it has a very unique, therefore appealing look to a variegated plant nut. You won't see this in every park or street anytime soon nor should you. But when you do see one, it can be used to inform us about nature, chlorophyll, and man's ability to love diversity and shocking things.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Wisselink'
lc: new growth mostly white, finely mottled green with green midribs to each leaflet, gradually becoming more green, some leaves later typical, others light green with pale zones
lc: between secondary veins. It is clearly a virescent (becoming green) type of mutation where chlorophyll is retarted in it's development longer than normal.

Aesculus hippocastanum 'Variegata'
lc: mottled white to yellow
ns: this name has appeared in Europe for one clone or another. Bean did not care to describe them in
ns: and merely stated that "previous editions" called this thing "a variety to be avoided". Any connection
ns: to 'Wiswelink' is not known.
or: England before 1775

Aesculus 'Homestead' = Aesculus x marylandica 'Homestead' (A. flava x A. glabra)

Aesculus x hybrida DC var. hybrida (A. octandra var. hybrida (DC) Sarg., A. versicolor?, A. lyonii?)
ht: 40-60 ft. tall
ha: arborescent to large shrub. Bean says they are more tree-like than A. x mutabilis hybrids known to him.
fc: corolla yellow tinged red to rose-red, much darker in the once included var. purpurascens, often clearly bicolored as known in European gardens, variable with the seedling
ft petals have glands and marginal hairs similar to A. pavia
geo, or: hybrid of A. flava x A. pavia, both known in the southern US. DeCandolle's type is based on a a garden hybrid from Montpelier Bot. Gard.
geo, or: The plant Gray called A. flava var. purpuracens (which we assign as a variety now), a strong purplish-red variant came from the Allegheny Mts. in the wild
lsp: Arbold Arb. lists an A. pav ia x A. flava received from Rochester Parks, NY in 1954

Aesculus x hybrida var. purpurascens (A. flava var. purpurascens Gray, A. octandra var. purpurascens (Gray) Bean)
fc: corolla purplish-red, not as bicolored as typical A. x hybrida known from garden hybrids in Europe
or, geo: known to Asa Gray from wild populations in the Alleghanies. This variant is not the blushed or bicolored garden entity
or, geo: and by reason of stronger corolla color and wild origin deserves to be kept as a distinct taxon.

Aesculus indica
ht: 60-100 ft.
bk: exfoliating in long stripes in very old trees
lt: 7 leaflets, central one often much larger
lv: glabrous on abaxial and adaxial with maturity
lc: glossy dark green above
ls: leaflets obovate to lanceolate
ll, lw: to 12 in. long x 4 in. wide
lm: serrate
infl: erect, cylindrical panicle
fd: panicle 12-16 in. long x 4-5 in. wide, corolla 1.0 in. long
fc: white with yellow and red blotches at base, shortest ones marked light pink
ft: 4 petals
bt: up to 4 weeks after A. hippocastanum in England
stam: stamens exerted up to 0.75 in. belong petals
frt: capsule rough but never spinose
frd: capsule 2-3 in. long
geo: NW Himalaya
in: Henry Bunbury to UK 1851. Original tree at Barton, Suffolk reaches 66 ft. by 1904

Aesculus indica 'Hillier' provisional name
ns: a listed name from Belgium collections. Hillier Arb. does not list in 2005 so it is apparently
ns: not an official, approved name.

indica 'Sydney Pearce' - click image
JC Raulston Arboretum. June 2005. A pretty foliage for it's color and the narrower than usual leaflets.

Aesculus indica 'Sydney Pearce'
fc: corolla darker pink than species typical, quite showy
infl: denser, fuller panicles than species typical
fq: more floriferous in gardens. Bean notes that even the first intro. of the species flowered well at 7 years.
eval: the best clone of the species to date (2005)
ch: USDA 7-8
eval: pretty for foliage and flower but one of the least hardy cultivars around.
aw: RHS AM 1967
lsp: original tree at Kew Gardens, plangted 1935

Aesculus 'Induta' (A. pavia var. discolor x A. neglecta)(A. rosea nana Hesse)
ha: small, slow-growing shrub
lc: blue-green below, densely hairy above when young
fc: pink marked yellow
fq: very floriforous
or: Hesse-Weener in 1905.
ns: this is a trispecific hybrid, including the influence of A. pavia, flava, and silvatica.

Aesculus khassyana (Voigt) Das & Majumdar invalid name = A. assamica
ns: the basonym of Pavia khassyana Voigt is a nomen nudum per Nianhe and Turland. Thus this new combination is
ns: not valid.

Aesculus x marylandica Booth ex Kirch. (A. flava x A. glabra)

Aesculus x marylandica 'Homestead' (A. flava x A. glabra)
hp: A. flava (octandra) x A. glabra
or: bred at South Dakota State University by Dr. Norman Evers
lc: dark green
dr: scorch and mildew resistant
fc: creamy yellow much like A. glabra
frt: fruitless and therefore mess free
afc: dark red to orange shades
ns: the hybrid is not sold or published under this hybrid species name but by botanical convention this South Dakota hybrid
ns: combination is indeed a type of Maryland Buckeye, whether of garden origin or not.

Aesculus x mutabilis (Spach) Schelle (Pavia mutabilis Spach)
ha: typically shrubby in the known hybrids
ns, id: it is unclear if this group is A. pavia x A. sylvatica or not.

Aesculus x mutabilis 'Hessei' =A. x dupontii 'Hessei'?

Aesculus x mutabilis 'Induta' = A. 'Induta'

Aesculus x mutabilis x A. flava = Aesculus x dupontii Sarg. (A. flava x (A. pavia x sylvatica))

Aesculus x neglecta 'Autumn Fire'
afc: bright fall colors
in: known from the UK. Not seen in US catalogs or collections in 2005.

Aesculus x neglecta Lindl. (as species) (A. ohioensis hort. France in part)(A. flava x A. sylvatica)
fc: yellow striped red (Lindley's original tree(s))
in: known since before 1826 in Europe
ns: it is thought to be A. flava x A. sylvatica per Hardin in Rhodora 59: 185-203. Allied to this
ns: group may be the supposed trispecific hybrid of A. x dupontii (see above). Bean reports
ns: that he believes this hybrid is perhaps from A. georgiana Sarg. but that entity itself may
ns: just be a variant of this hybrid!

Aesculus x neglecta 'Erythroblastos' ('Roseo-variegata')(A. flava x A. sylvatica)
ht: 20m
ha: distinct tree
ls: leaflets obovate-oblong
ll: leaflets 10-15cm long
lm: singley or doubly serrate
ft: calyx finely pubescent, not glandular like parent A. flava.
lc: new leaves bright carmine red, very showy, becoming green by summer
fc: redish-yellow
or: Behnsch. This same cross occurs in the wild in NC USA.
in: Spath Nur., Germany as A. pavia fol. roseis.

Aesculus x neglecta var. georgiana (Sarg.) Sarg. =perhaps ordinary A. x neglecta at times, almost certainly A. sylvatica

Aesculus x neglecta var. pubescens
cn: "Etowah Buckeye"
ht: 50 ft.
fc: corolla creamy-white with pink tints
fd: corolla to 1 in. wide
lc: bright pink new growth - not as red as 'Erythroblastos'

Aesculus pavia - click to enlarge
A lovely young plant at the Greensboro Arboretum NC in April 2003.

Aesculus pavia (var. pavia)
fc: corolla always red - not yellow as in var. flavescens
ft: stamens well exerted - not short as var. flavescens

Aesculus pavia 'Biltmore'
or, ns: Biltmore Gardens, Asheville, NC. There are notable trees there but this naming is not
or, ns: not approved to our knowledge.
so: We-Du Nursery

Aesculus pavia var. discolor 'Koehnei'
ha: dwarf
fc: red and yellow tints
or: Europe before 1893.
ns: it has been confused with 'Humilis', another dwarf that is red-flowered in the true clone

Aesculus pavia var. flavescens (Sarg.) Correll.
fc: yellow - not red or pinkish as typical var. pavia and var. discolor)
ft: stamens more or less shorter than the corolla tuba - often longer in the typical variety
id, ns: this variety is considered an anthocyanin-free mutation and not a hybrid to
id, ns: some yellow species such as A. flava. All red tints are missing in the true variety
id, ns: whereas as pavia x flava hybrids are always of mixed colors and shadings.
geo: first collected in TX USA

Aesculus pavia 'Humilis' has all the bright red spring glow of the species but in a smaller, more residential garden friendly package. The contrast of the fresh green foliage and bright flowers is something even this nice photo can't capture. Note to lovely texture of the veins in these unfolding leaves. It can be grafted on a standard for a more interesting effect. Otherwise it's a spreading shrub and as Bean says "even prostrate". One can do something with it just as the usefully spreading A. parviflora with white flowers many months after this one. One might considering putting them both in a large bed for two seasons of color. Being known since 1826, it is not a new plant but it very much new to American gardeners. click image to enlarge. LCH

Aesculus pavia 'Humilis' (A. humilis Lindl., Pavia pendula hort., A. pavia var. nana Dippel)
ha: dwarf, sometimes procumbent or mounded. It has been grafted high on standards where it
ha: is weeping and was sold as Pavia pendula.
fc: red
infl: smaller panicle
or: European trade since 1826, first as A. humilis Lindl.

Aesculus pavia 'Rosea Nana'
ns: a dwarfer form known from the UK. It seems likely this is A. rosea nana Hesse and that taxon
ns: belongs to A. 'Induta' (see listing above).

Aesculus pavia 'Splendens' (A. splendens Sarg.)
fc: corolla bright red, similar to some species variants but not all. It's equal to the best of them.
infl: broad panicle to 10 in. long, species is often smaller at 4-9 in. long
ns: the variety splendens of Sargent is lumped by modern botanists with the var. pavia or species
ns: typical. As a cultivar, this same entity has interest and value for the horticulturist.
id: W.J Bean states that this selection (he used A. splendens Sarg.) differs from cultivated A. pavia
id: in the UK, in having leaves very downy to rusty-hairy below whereas their A. pavia are nearly glabrous
id: below. If one accepts that the downy-leaved A. discolor is part of the wide variation of A. pavia, then
id: A. splendens Sarg. would fit within a sensu latu or wider concept of A. pavia.

Aesculus pavia 'Spring Purple' ('Purple Spring' of UK?) (11/00)
lc: new growth purplish
so: Pavia Nursery

Aesculus 'Penduliflora' (A. pavia var. discolor x A. neglecta)
ls: leaflets lanceolate
lc: light green below, soft pubescent above in new growth
ft: calyx tubular
fc: yellow with red calyx and tints
infl: 14-16cm long, pendulous panicle as the name suggests
or: Europe before 1902, including the parents A. pavia, flava, and silvatica in the mix.

Aesculus polyneura var. dongchuanensis X. W. Li & W.Y. Yin = Aesculus assamica Griffith

Aesculus PRAIRIE TORCH™ 'Bergeson' (4/5)
ht: 20-28 ft.
ha: dense globose when young, later more mushroom-shaped, one of the most vigorous clones in NDSU trials
afc: orange-red, very showy
ch: hardy in North Dakota
in: Dr. Dale Herman, N. Dakota State Univ. c. 2004

Aesculus sylvatica Bartram
ht: 6-20 ft. tall in gardens, wild plants to 60 ft. are reported but very rare. One in the Chattahoochee Nat. Forest
ht: in GA is a record tree at 144 ft.
ha: shrub to small tree
lt: 5 leaflets
ll, lw: leaflets 4-6 in. long x 1.5-2.5 in. wide
ls: leaflets obovate to narrowly ovate
la: acute
lb: nearly to moderately cuneate
lm: serrulate, often doubly serrate to serrulate
lc: dark green above, new growth often purplish to reddish
lv: pubescent belong subglabrous
pet: petiole 3.5-8.0 in., petiolule non-existant or very short
infl: panicle of 4-8 in. long - generally wider than A. pavia when compared
fc: corolla color variable in wld from yellow, pink, yellow tinged red, to greenish-yellow shades. It is often
fc: bicolored (both red and yellow), hence the common name "Painted Buckeye". Other species are seldom so green.
ns, id: it is likely that some of the "redder" variants in the wild are crosses to A. pavia where the species
ns, id: have once or now still meet. The hybrid A. 'Harbisonii' raised at the Arbold Arb. from this species
ns, id: produced light red flowers and is very likely a cross of the two species. See also A. x neglecta.
ns, id: not all botanists accept this as distinct species. It is more glabrous than ordinary
geo: S USA, primary known from GA in moist woods, also found in AL, VA, and TN
in: first cultivated in the US c. 1905
so: Woodlanders

Aesculus turbinata - click image
JC Raulston Arboretum. Summer 2005. A very appealing species even if only from the texture of the very large leaflets.

turbinata - click images
Highland Park Arboretum, Rochester NY, August 2005. Planted in 1907, the two trees imaged here had very large foliage and abundant fruit. These are among the largest, intact specimens in
the US.

Aesculus turbinata Blume (A. chinensis hort. in part, not most authors)
ht: 75-130 ft. tall
ha: pyramidal to subglobose, generally slower, less strong than A. hippocastanum in western gardens. Bean describes the
ha: plant is overall inferior to A. hippocastanum but "curiously sitff and sturdy in habit.."
bud: very resinous in winter
lc: medium to dark green above, slightly more waxy below than A. hippocastanum.
lt: 5-7 leaflets
ls: leaflets obovate
ll, lw: variable with plant age, often vary large on young plants, 9-16 in. long x 2.5-6.0 in. wide. Bean reports one young
ll, lw: Kew tree had a total leaf length (including petiole) of 27 inches!
afc: orange shades possible, usually not showy
infl: panicles 4-8 in. long
fd: flowers 0.75 in. wide
fc: corolla creamy-white
bt: often 2-3 weeks after A. hippocastanum in England
pet: petiolules absent - unstalked or nearly so
frt: spineless (unlike A. hippocastanum), rough in texture
frs: broadly pear-shaped or turbinate
frd: 1.5-2.0 in. wide
geo: Japan, main island and also Hokkaido
in: Siebold to Holland c. 1862.
eval: the leaf size and texture of young plants makes it very appealing. That is blooms after common horsechestnut
eval: trees is a plus too.

Aesculus turbinata var. pubescens Rehd. (f. pubescens (Rehd.) Ohwi)
ns: a listed name, presumably more pubescent throughout. Some taxonomists consider it part of species typical

Aesculus x wurlitzensis Koehne (?A. flava x (A. pavia x A. sylvatica))
ns, id: this plant is of the same parents as A. x dupontii but supposedly in a different combination. It is not known yet which name is earlier.
ns, id: Dirr lists it as A. x hybrida x A. sylvatica.

Aesculus x wurlitzensis 'Ellwangeri'
ha: denser, more compact, smaller than hybrid species typical - thus a better garden clone
fc: red and yellow, bicolored
or: Ellwanger & Barry Nursery, Rochester NY USA

SPECIES	x carnea	flava	glabra	hippocastanum	x marylandica	x mutabilis	x neglecta	pavia	pavia x sylvatica ('Harbisonii')	sylvatica	turbinata
x carnea	x carnea			x carnea				x carnea
flava		flava	x marilandica	graft hybrid = +Aesculus dallimorei	x marylandica	x dupontii	x neglecta	x hybrida	x wurlitzensis	x neglecta
glabra		x marilandica	glabra		x marylandica			x bushii
hippocastanum	x carnea	graft hybrid = +Aesculus dallimorei		hippocastanum				x carnea			x hemiacantha
x marylandica		x marylandica	x marylandica		x marylandica			x arnoldiana
x mutabiilis		x dupontii				x mutabilis		x mutabilis?		x mutabilis?
x neglecta		x neglecta					x neglecta	'Penduliflora'		x neglecta
pavia	x carnea	x hybrida	x bushii	x carnea	x arnoldiana		'Penduliflora'	pavia		'Harbisonii'
pavia x sylvatica ('Harbisonii')		x wurlitzwensis
sylvatica		x neglecta					x neglecta	'Harbisonii'		sylvatica
turbinata				x hemiacantha							turbinata

CHARACTER	A. assamica	A. chinensis (vars. chinensis and wilsonii)
Petal color	white to light yellow, marked brown to purple	white mottled yellow, no dark markings
Petal shape and proportions	oblong, obovate, or spatulate, unequal in size	oblong-obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, subequal in size
Petal length	13 - 22 mm long	8 - 14 mm long
Leaf color above (adaxial)	dark glossy green	medium matt green
Petiolule (leaflet stalk) length	0.0 - 1.5 cm, often sessile to subsessile	0.5 - 3.0 cm - distinct petiolate

CHARACTER	Var. chinensis (species typical)	var. wilsonii (A. wilsonii)
Leaf base	narrowly to broadly cuneate (wedge-shaped)	broadly cuneate to rotund, subcordate
Leaf vestiture below (abaxial)	glabrous or subglabrous with grey pubescence on veins when leaves very young	consistantly grey villous and tomentose below, especially on the veins below
Fruit husk thickness	--	much thinner - measurements are not yet reported
Leaf veins pairs	not measured but less than var. wilsonii at 22 per W.J. Bean	up to 22 vein pairs

Aesculus flava vs. Aesculus glabra
CHARACTER TRAIT	Aesculus flava (A. octandra)	Aesculus glabra
Bark	smooth in young trees to slightly exfoliating on older trees in plates of grey, orange, and tan.	very rough, textured, ashy gray, fissured or coarsely plated in mature trees
Stem odor	no strong odor when bruised	disagreeable odor when crushed or bruised lightly
Leaf vestiture	new growth finely tomentose below, often with red-tinged hairs	new growth slightly pubescent, quickly glabrous below except on the major veins
Stamens position	shorter than petals, not exerted	longer than petals, slightly exerted by 0.25-0.35 in.
Fruit shape	subglobose to pear-shaped, often with irregular lobes or depressions	obovoid to ovoid
Fruit diameter	2.0-3.5 inches long or wide	1.0-2.0 inches long or wide
Fruit husk	smooth to slightly rugose, few to no warts, never any prickles, sometimes slightly pitted as citrus rind.	rough, very rugose due to numerous yellowish-tan to metallic warty patches, distinct small prickles of 1-5mm long thought far shorter than A. hippocastanum.

CHARACTER	AESCULUS TURBINATA	AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM
Fruit capsule shape	obovoid to pyriform (pear-shaped)	subglobose, often very globose (rounded or globe-shaped)
Fruit capsule surface	verrucose (bumpy and wart-like)	prickly with distinct sharp projections
Leaf color below (abaxial)	waxy, glaucous or grayish-green	light to medium green, lacking waxy
Leaf dimensions	Leaves with petiole up to 27 in. long, leaflets mostly 4-6 in. wide	Leaves with petiole rarely over 12 in. long, leaflets mostly 3-4 inches wide
Leaf margins	crenate to crenulate (with rounded to finely rounded teeth), may appear entire from a distance	serrate to serrulate (moderately sharp to small sharp teeth)
Bloom time	--	2-4 weeks before A. turbinata in UK (likely similar elsewhere)
Geography and cultivation	China, rare in US cultivation, mostly found in elite or larger botanical gardens in the west	Greece and Albania, widely cultivated throughout Europe and America
A. x hemiacantha is a hybrid of these two species and has been rare except in major collections. It has gotten some attention in the European nursery trade in the last decade or so. Strangely, the largest plant we have recorded to date exists in Rochester NY (planted c. 1907).