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{{SPlantbox
|familia=Sapindaceae
|genus=Aesculus
|habit=tree
|origin=N America, Eurasia
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun
|sun_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
|Temp Metric=°F
|sunset_zones=vary by species
|image=Horse-chestnut 800.jpg
|image_width=200
}}
The genus '''''Aesculus''''' ({{Pron-en|ˈɛskjʊləs}}<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> or {{IPA-en|ˈaɪskjʊləs|}}) comprises 13-19 species of woody [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s native to the temperate [[northern hemisphere]], with 6 species native to [[North America]] and 7-13 species native to [[Eurasia]]; there are also several [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]]. Species are deciduous or evergreen. This genus has traditionally been treated in the ditypic family [[Hippocastanaceae]] along with Billia,<ref>Hardin, JW. 1957. A revision of the American Hippocastanaceae I. Brittonia 9:145-171.</ref> but recent phylogenetic analysis of morphological<ref>Judd, WS, RW Sanders, MJ Donoghue. 1994. Angiosperm family pairs. Harvard Papers in Botany. 1:1-51.</ref> and molecular data<ref>MG Harrington, KJ Edwards, SA Johnson, MW Chase. 2005. Phylogenetic inference in Sapindaceae sensu lato using plastid matK and rbcL DNA sequences. Systematic Botany. 30:366–382</ref> has led to this family, along with the [[Aceraceae]] ([[Maple]]s and ''[[Dipteronia]]''), being included in the soapberry family ([[Sapindaceae]]).
[[Linnaeus]] named the genus ''Aesculus'' after the Roman name for an edible acorn. The Eurasian species are known as [[horse chestnuts]] while the North American species are called [[buckeye]]s. Some are also called ''white chestnut'' or ''red chestnut'' (as in some of the [[Bach flower remedies]]). In Britain, they are sometimes called ''conker trees'' because of their link with the game of [[conkers]], played with the seeds, also called conkers. Aeschulus seeds were traditionally eaten, after leaching, by the Jomon people of Japan over about 4 millenia, until 300AD.<ref>ISBN:0 521 40112 7 _The Living Fields_, by Harlan Jack Rodney, University Press, Cambridge, Great Britain,1995 :15 Harlan cites AkazawaT & AikensCM 1986 _Prehistoric Hunter-Gathers in Japan_ Univ. Toyko Press, and cites AikensCM & HigachiT1982 _Prehistory of Japan_ NY Academic Press.</ref>
''Aesculus'' species are [[woody plant]]s from 4 to 36m tall (depending on species), and have stout shoots with resinous, often sticky, buds; opposite, palmately divided leaves, often very large (to 65 cm across in the Japanese horse chestnut ''Aesculus turbinata''). Flowers are showy, insect-pollinated, with four or five [[petal]]s fused into a lobed [[Corolla (flower)|corolla tube]], arranged in a panicle inflorescence. Flowering starts after 80–110 [[growing degree day]]s. The fruit matures to a [[capsule (fruit)]], 2–5 cm diameter, usually globose, containing 1-3 seeds (often erroneously called a [[nut (fruit)]]) per capsule. Capsules containing more than one seed result in seeds being flat on one side. The point of attachment of the seed in the capsule (hilum) shows as a large circular whitish scar. The capsule epidermis has "spines" (botanically: prickles) in some species, other capsules are warty or smooth; capsule splits into three sections to release the seeds.<ref>Hardin, JW. 1957. A revision of the American Hippocastanaceae I. Brittonia 9:145-171</ref><ref>Hardin, JW. 1957. A revision of the American Hippocastanaceae II. Brittonia 9:173-195</ref><ref>Hardin, JW. 1960. A revision of the American Hippocastanaceae V, Species of the Old World. Brittonia 12:26-38</ref>
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Aesculus (ancient name of some oak or mast-bearing tree). Including Pavia. Hippocastanaceae. HORSE-CHESTNUT. BUCKEYE. Trees or sometimes shrubs, cultivated for shade and for the conspicuous bloom of some species.
Aesculus (ancient name of some oak or mast-bearing tree). Including Pavia. Hippocastanaceae. HORSE-CHESTNUT. BUCKEYE. Trees or sometimes shrubs, cultivated for shade and for the conspicuous bloom of some species.
}}
}}
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
==Species==
==Species==
The species of ''Aesculus'' include:
* ''[[Aesculus arguta]]'': Texas buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus arguta]]'': Texas buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus californica]]'': California buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus californica]]'': California buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus × carnea]]'': Red Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus × carnea]]'': red horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus chinensis]]'': Chinese Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus chinensis]]'': Chinese horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus chinensis var. wilsonii]]'': Wilson's Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus chinensis var. wilsonii]]'': Wilson's horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus flava]]'' (''A. octandra''): yellow buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus flava]]'' (''A. octandra''): yellow buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus glabra]]'': Ohio Buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus glabra]]'': Ohio buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus hippocastanum]]'': Common Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus hippocastanum]]'': common horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus indica]]'': Indian Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus indica]]'': Indian horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus neglecta]]'': dwarf buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus neglecta]]'': dwarf buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus parviflora]]'': bottlebrush buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus parviflora]]'': bottlebrush buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus parryi]]''
* ''[[Aesculus parryi]]''
* ''[[Aesculus pavia]]'': red buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus pavia]]'': red buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus sylvatica]]'': painted Buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus pavia]] var. flavescens'': Texas yellow buckeye, yellow woolly buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus turbinata]]'': Japanese Horse Chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus sylvatica]]'': painted buckeye
* ''[[Aesculus turbinata]]'': Japanese horse chestnut
* ''[[Aesculus wangii]] = [[Aesculus assamica]]
* ''[[Aesculus wangii]] = [[Aesculus assamica]]
==Cultivation==
The most familiar member of the genus worldwide is the [[common horse chestnut]] ''Aesculus hippocastanum'', native to a small area of the [[Balkans]] in southeast [[Europe]], but widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. The yellow buckeye ''Aesculus flava'' (syn. ''A. octandra'') is also a valuable ornamental tree with yellow flowers, but is less widely planted. Among the smaller species, the bottlebrush buckeye ''Aesculus parviflora'' also makes a very interesting and unusual flowering shrub. Several other members of the genus are used as ornamentals, and several horticultural hybrids have also been developed, most notably the red horse chestnut ''[[Aesculus × carnea]]'', a hybrid between ''A. hippocastanum'' and ''A. pavia''.
===Propagation===
===Pests and diseases===
==Varieties==
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
<gallery>
Image:Aesculus carnea BotGartenMuenster PurpurKastanie 6685.jpg|Flower of the Red Horse-chestnut (''Aesculus x carnea'')
Image:Aesculus carnea BotGartenMuenster PurpurKastanie 6685.jpg|Flower of the Red Horse-chestnut (''Aesculus x carnea'')
Image:AesculusChinensis.jpg|Chinese Horse-chestnut (''Aesculus chinensis'') young leaves in spring ...
Image:AesculusChinensis.jpg|Chinese Horse-chestnut (''Aesculus chinensis'') young leaves in spring ...
==References==
==References==
<!--- xxxxx *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963 -->
<references/>
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
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