Aesculus hippocastanum in the context of Aesculus x carnea

👉 Aesculus hippocastanum in the context of Aesculus x carnea

Aesculus × carnea, or red horse-chestnut, is a medium-sized tree, an artificial hybrid between A. pavia (red buckeye) and A. hippocastanum (horse-chestnut). Its origin uncertain, probably appearing in Germany before 1820. It is a popular tree in large gardens and parks; and is even present in Hyde Park, London.

Aesculus × carnea's features are typically intermediate between the parent species, but it inherits the red flower color from A. pavia. Its showy flowers are borne in plumes on branch ends, blooming in spring and producing leathery fruit capsules in fall. It grows up to 40 feet (12 m) tall and 30 feet (9 m) wide, with a round head that casts dense shade when mature. Its leaves are dark green, palmately compound, and deciduous, each leaf divided into five large, toothed leaflets.

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Aesculus hippocastanum in the context of Ungnadia

Ungnadia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, containing one species, Ungnadia speciosa, commonly known as the Mexican buckeye. It is native to northern Mexico, as well as Texas and southern New Mexico in the United States. The name honors Austrian ambassador Baron David Ungnad von Sonnegg, son of Andreas Ungnad von Sonnegg, who brought the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) to Vienna in 1576, introducing the plant into western Europe.

It differs from the buckeyes in the related genus Aesculus but the seeds and nuts are similar. Another similar related genus is the soapberry (genus Sapindus). Ungnadia seeds are poisonous despite their sweetness, and sometimes used as marbles. The foliage is toxic and rarely browsed by livestock, but bees produce honey from the floral nectar.

View the full Wikipedia page for Ungnadia

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