Facebook

Horse chestnut

© fitoterapija.lv

Aesculus hippocastanum

Native to a small area in the Balkan mixed forests of South East Europe. It is a large tree,  growing to about 39 m with a domed crown. The leaves are opposite and palmately compound, whith 5-7 leaflets; each leaflet is 13-30 cm long. The flowers are white whith  a yellow to pink blotch at the base of the petals. They are produced in spring in erect panicles 10-30 cm tall, whith about 20-50 flowers on each panicle. Usually 1-5 fruits develop in each panicle. The shell is a green, spiky capsule containing one (rarely two or three) nut-like seeds called conkers or horse chesnuts. Each conker is 2-4 cm in diameter glossy nut-brown.