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August 31, 2006 : Xanthoceras sorbifolia and Aesculus hippocastanum
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Keywords: Sapindaceae | Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge | Aesculus hippocastanum L.
A big thank you to Douglas Justice for writing today's entry! – Daniel
The similarity of Xanthoceras sorbifolia and Aesculus hippocastanum is not evident until their husky capsules begin to split open. There is an obvious resemblance, but the genera are classified in separate subfamilies of Sapindaceae. Aesculus – the classical name for a kind of oak with edible acorns – was the name given by Linnaeus to the horse chestnuts and buckeyes. His reasons for applying this name to a genus that is so un-oak-like and whose fruits are poisonous, are evidently lost. Not so Xanthoceras, which means “yellow horn,” in reference to the small yellow projections on flowers of this species. See the previous BPotD entry on Xanthoceras here.
The glossy seeds of the horse chestnut are rich in toxic saponins. The seed and its extracts have been used for medicating horses suffering from gas, children's games (“conkers”), production textile whiteners and military armaments (see this excellent wikipedia entry). According to Ken Fern (Plants for a Future), “saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water. This water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc. Its main drawback is a lingering odour of horse chestnuts.” The seeds of Xanthoceras are reported to be quite edible.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at August 31, 2006 12:00 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Beverley at August 31, 2006 7:25 AM
Facciola, CORNUCOPIA II (Kampong Publications) calls it Shiny-leaf yellowhorn and Northern macadamia, says
"Flowers and leaves are used for food. The nut is...quite sweet. The flavor is thought by some to be reminiscent of a macadamia nut"
Posted by: Ron B at August 31, 2006 8:20 AM
I still am so awed by nature's color palette. Such beautiful photography...thank you
Posted by: L Kilpatrick at August 31, 2006 11:43 AM
...ah...the sweet memories of youth...early autumn..running from st. pats school in penna. as soon as the bell rang... to the neighborhoods that had those huge horse-chestnut trees...to gather those beautiful gems of the trees that had fallen during our classes...to hold in our hands these so very smooth and shiny brown fruits....
Posted by: phillip lacock at August 31, 2006 11:40 PM
Since a few people have asked me, these were photographed by me.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at September 1, 2006 10:46 AM
the forms in nature are so inspiring! What a great photo of a fantastic plant. I often collect the horsechestnuts for no other reason than that the pods are so outrageously beautiful and strange -- and the nuts themselves like polished wood objects of beauty.
Posted by: maureen at June 8, 2007 10:11 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Xanthoceras sorbifolia - Z6 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Xanthoceras sorbifolia - Z5-8 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk
Aesculus hippocastanum - Z3 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Aesculus hippocastanum - Z3-8 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants