FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
This shrub is usually the first to leaf out in early spring and the first to drop leaves in late summer or early fall. The "buckeye" seed is poisonous to humans if ingested.
Synonym(s): Aesculus georgiana
Description: Deciduous understory shrub up to 3 m tall, rarely to 10 m.
Leaves: Oppositely arranged, palmately compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets. Leaflets 8 to 20 cm long and 3 to 7 cm wide. Leaflets lance-shaped or obovate.
Flowers/Fruit: Tubular flowers (cream, yellow, or pink) on stalk. Buckeye seeds produced inside thick capsule. Flowers late March to early May; fruits July/August.
Habit and Range: Rich woods, river banks and floodplains, mainly in the Piedmont.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Leaves of Aesculus sylvatica (painted buckeye) can be confused with Asimina triloba (common pawpaw) which are alternate and have a smoother margin. Aesculus pavia (red buckeye) is a similar uncommon shrub along blackwater streams in the Coastal Plain. Aesculus flava (yellow buckeye) is a common tall tree found in northern hardwood forests and on cool, moist slopes.
Click here to view Asimina triloba.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
