Synonym(s): Aesculus georgiana, Aesculus sylvatica var. lanceolata
Image ID: 12829
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library
PLANT INDEX
ID_PLANT: AESY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aesculus sylvatica
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-11-29
GENUS INDEX
GENUS CODE: AESCU GENUS SCIENTIFIC:Aesculus GENUS AUTHORITY: L. GENUS COMMON: Buckeye GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 13 species, trees and shrubs, of temperate e. North America, w. North America, e. Asia, and se. Europe. GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: The following hybrids are known from our area: Aesculus ×neglecta Lindley [flava × sylvatica] and Aesculus ×mutabilis (Spach) Scheele [pavia × sylvatica]. They can be recognized by their intermediate morphology. GENUS REFERENCES: Hardin (1957a, 1957b)=Z; Harris, Xiang, & Thomas (2009) Acevedo-Rodríguez, van Welzen, Adema, and van der Ham in Kubitzki (2011).
FAMILY INDEX
FAMILY CODE: HIPPOC FAMILY SCIENTIFIC:Hippocastanaceae FAMILY AUTHORITY: A. Richard 1823 FAMILY COMMON: Horse-chestnut Family FAMILY SUMMARY: A family… FAMILY REFERENCE:
NCBG DESCRIPTIVES
INTRO: A small, deciduoustree or shrub, commonly 1–5 m (3–16 ft.) tall. Bark of mature trunks is flaky. Winter buds are large, with terminal buds ranging from about 0.5–1 cm long or longer. Leaves are opposite and palmatelycompound, with 5 (occasionally 7), relatively large (8–20 cm long) leaflets. Leaflet margins are variously serrate. Flowers are borne on a prominent, terminal inflorescence. Flowers bear 4, long (1–3.7 cm.), cream, yellowish green or pink colored petals that form a tube-shaped corolla. Fruits consist of a 2–4 cm long, more or less spherical, tan or brown, leathery capsule. The capsule splits open revealing 1–3 (occasionally as many as 6) large, smooth, lustrous, dark brown seeds, each with a conspicuous light brown scar. Painted buckeye is one of the first trees in Piedmont forests to produce leaves and flowers in spring. STEMS:Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) green or orange or reddish-brown, glabrous. Twigs (2–4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars shield-shaped or triangular, bundle scars (3–)6–7(–9) per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks flaky. Buds axillary or terminal, reddish-brown, (4–)7–9(–13) mm long, ovoid, blunt or sharp, budscales imbricate. LEAVES: Leaves deciduous,compound, once palmatelycompound,petiolate,opposite, 15–35 cm long, 15–35 cm wide. Leaf upper surface green or yellow-green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green, glabrous or pubescent, tomentose. Leaflets petiolulate or nearly sessile, 5(–7) per leaf, 8–20 cm long, 3–7 cm wide, lanceolate or oblong or obovate or oval,leaflet margins serrate or serrulate or doubly serrate,leaflet apices acuminate,leaflet bases attenuate or cuneate or oblique,leaflet venation pinnate. Petioles 5–15 cm long, glabrous. Stipules absent. INFLORESCENCE: Inflorescences terminal, panicles, flowers stalked. FLOWERS: Flowers bisexual or unisexual or staminate, hypogynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 5 per flower,calyx tubes 6–15 mm long, ascending, red or yellow, oblong or ovate,sepal margins serrate,sepal apices rounded,pubescent,tomentose, caducous. Corollaasymmetric,tubular, apopetalous. Petals 4 per flower, 10–37 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, ascending, cream or pink or yellow-green, clawed or obovate or spatulate,petal margins ciliate,petal apices rounded,pubescent, caducous. Androecium. Stamens 6–7 per flower, separate, filaments 18–30 mm long. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoeciumsyncarpous, 3 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil,placentation axile. FRUITS: Fruits capsules, 2–4 cm long, brown or tan, fruit maturation 1 years. COMMENTS: Capsules split open revealing 1 to 3 (rarely to 6) large, smooth, lustrous, dark brown seeds, each with a conspicuous light brown scar. HEIGHT: 3-16 ft. DURATION:
Perennial
HABIT:
Shrub, Tree
LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
Opposite LEAF COMPLEXITY:
Palmate LEAF RETENTION:
Deciduous FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: March or April or May or June.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
x
x
x
x
BLOOM COLOR:
White
Red
Pink
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Lavender
Purple
Violet
Brown
Not Applicable
x
x
x
x
FRUITING PERIOD: July-Aug. DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Painted buckeye’s flowers vary from creamy white to pale yellow and pink. Its tubular flowers are quite showy for several weeks in the spring. The species’ distinctive hand-shaped (palmate) foliage is attractive throughout the growing season. It is commonly found in the understory of moist woods. Though shade tolerant, best flowering occurs when grown in at least 3-4 hours of sunlight. It will produce root suckers but is not aggressive. This genus supports up to 32 lepidoptera species.
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast
WEAKLEY FLORA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aesculus sylvatica
COMMON NAME: Painted Buckeye
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, K, RAB, Va, W, Z; = A. neglecta Lindley - G, misapplied; < A. octandra - S (also see A. flava); > A. georgiana Sargent]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-mid May; Jul-Aug.
HABITAT: In the Piedmont in mesic, nutrient-rich forests, on bottomlands, lower slopes, and in ravines, in the Coastal Plain primarily on floodplains of brownwater (alluvium-carrying) rivers (most notably the Roanoke River in NC), in the Mountains only at low elevations.
COMMENTS: Primarily a Southeastern Piedmont endemic, occurring primarily in the Piedmont from sc. VA south through c. NC, c. SC, and nc. GA to nc. AL, with an extension north into e. TN.
RANGE MAP: Aesculus sylvatica.png
Key to Map SymbolsABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora) Hippocastanaceae A. Richard 1823 (Horse-chestnut Family) SUMMARY: A family… REFERENCE: ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora) Aesculus L. (Buckeye) SUMMARY: A genus of about 13 species, trees and shrubs, of temperate e. North America, w. North America, e. Asia, and se. Europe. REFERENCE: Hardin (1957a, 1957b)=Z; Harris, Xiang, & Thomas (2009) Acevedo-Rodríguez, van Welzen, Adema, and van der Ham in Kubitzki (2011).
HERBARIUM RESOURCES
SERNEC: Find Aesculus sylvatica in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available) UNC SERNEC: Find Aesculus sylvatica in
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)