Botany Photo of the Day: Aesculus californica

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Jul 24, 2008: Harrimanella stelleriana
Jul 24, 2007: Dierama galpinii
Jul 24, 2006: Chiricahua National Monument
Jul 24, 2005: David C. Lam Asian Garden

January 20, 2007 : Aesculus californica

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Keywords: Sapindaceae | Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutt. | Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco, California

Eric in SF@Flickr has kindly shared today's photograph with us (original image posted ~ a year ago on the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thank you once again, Eric.

California buckeye is endemic to the state. Its poisonous properties were recognized and utilized by the First Nations of the region, who ground the seeds into flour and then used the flour as a fish poison (ref: Jepson Manual and expanded in the Wikipedia entry on Aesculus californica).

Henry W. Coe State Park shares a series of photographs of California buckeye on its web site, if you're keen to see the plant from other perspectives and in detail.

On a different note, if you live in the Seattle area, you might like to attend my lecture on “Beauty and the Botanist” at 1pm tomorrow at the Centre for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st St.), hosted by the Northwest Perennial Alliance. Cost is $5 if you're not an NPA member.

Botany / art resource link: Discovered via Pruned weblog, Wood Anatomy of Central European Species shows the beauty of wood at the cellular level. Take a look at Larix decidua as a fine example of what's available in the list of species.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at January 20, 2007 12:00 AM

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Aesculus californica - Z7 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Aesculus californica - Z7-8 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk

Posted by: Beverley at January 20, 2007 12:34 AM

Californ buckeye
Will yield what name does imply
Unless first you die?

Posted by: dale hinton at January 20, 2007 8:07 AM

There has been at least one vouchered site reported for Aesculus californica in Jackson County, Oregon (11 June 2004), about 27 miles north of the OR-CA border.

Posted by: Rick at January 20, 2007 8:20 AM

Thanks Rick, I had wondered if that would be the case, since it appears in Siskiyou County in California.

Posted by: Daniel Mosquin at January 20, 2007 9:36 AM

Are these trees summer-deciduous if grown in British Columbia, or only in California? Is anyone growing one?

Posted by: Dave at January 21, 2007 2:54 PM

Great photo ...especially the "arrangement". this one's a favorite for sure, and of a favorite tree too.

Posted by: Hollis Marriott at January 24, 2007 9:02 AM

Beautiful! I'm from Ohio and we have THE Buckeye Tree as our own, but it is nothing like your photo. Ohio State Buckeyes. so I would imagine that this is a relative to our Buckeye Tree, which I don't know the proper botany name for it. Are the nuts similair to Ohio's, brown with a tan top? and poisonous.

Posted by: susie at January 28, 2007 4:48 AM

Susie,

Aesculus glabra is the scientific name fo the Ohio buckeye. The nut of the pictured species tends to be larger but otherwise similar.

Posted by: Denis at January 31, 2008 11:34 PM

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!

Botany Photo of the Day

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January 20, 2007 : Aesculus californica

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