Aesculus glabra
| Aesculus glabra | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 66' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aesculus glabra (common name: ohio buckeye)
Propagation: Seed - best sown outdoors or in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1][2]. The seed germinates almost immediately and must be given protection from severe weather[3]. The seed has a very limited viability and must not be allowed to dry out. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours prior to sowing and even after this may still not be viable[2][4]. It is best to sow the seed with its 'scar' downwards[3]. If sowing the seed in a cold frame, pot up the seedlings in early spring and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a deep loamy well-drained soil but is not too fussy[5][1].
This species is the state tree of Ohio[6]. Its growth-rate is moderate in the wild, with trees living up to 100 years[6]. In Britain, it grows best in eastern and south-eastern areas of England probably needing a continental climate in order to thrive[7][8]. Although the trees are hardy when dormant, the new growth can be damaged by late spring frosts[1].
The twigs, bark, flowers and leaves all produce a foetid odour if crushed[6].
Most members of this genus transplant easily, even when fairly large[1].
Range: South-eastern and Central N. America - Pennsylvania to Nebraska, south to Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Habitat: Usually found in moist sites such as river bottoms and streambank soils, but it is sometimes also found on drier sites though does not grow so well there[6].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[9]. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel. The seed is quite large, up to 35mm in diameter[10], and is easily harvested[K]. It is quite rich in saponins and needs to be leached of these toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days. By this time most of the minerals etc would also have been leached out[K].
Medicinal: Minute doses of the seed are used internally in the treatment of spasmodic coughs, asthma and internal irritations[9]. It is used externally as a tea or an ointment in the treatment of rheumatism and piles[9].
An extract of the bark has been used as an irritant of the cerebro-spinal system[10].
Usage: Saponins in the seed are used as a soap substitute[11]. The 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[K].
Wood - close-grained, light, soft, white, but often blemished by dark lines of decay[10][6]. It weighs 28lb per cubic foot[12]. It is easy to carve and resists splitting. Ideal to use in making artificial limbs, it is also used for woodenware, pulp etc and is occasionally sawn into lumber[10][6][12].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The seed is rich in saponins. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully le
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 6. 1984 - 1985. Royal Horticultural Society, 1984.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Buchanan, Rita. A Weavers Garden.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.