A densely branched tree to about 25 m tall with sticky winter buds. New growth woolly. Leaflets 5-7, each 10-25 cm long. Flower clusters 20-30 cm long. Flowers with 5 petals, white, speckled with red and yellow; early Oct. Fruit up to 6 cm thick, prickly.
By far the most commonly planted species. Grows well in Tas but only suited to cool, hilly districts of mainland Australia.
Mountains of N Greece, Bulgaria, Albania.
VIC: Ballarat (Bot. Gds, short avenue); Bright; Daylesford (Bot. Gds); Fitzroy (Gds); Kyneton (Shire Hall); Walhalla (State School). TAS: Deloraine (Meander River Reserve, near swimming pool); Launceston (City Park, Kings Park); Plenty (Salmon Ponds); Port Arthur.
A. flava Soland, Yellow Buckeye (Sweet Buckeye), has 5-7 finely toothed leaflets 8-18 cm long. Flowers yellow. Syn. A. octandra Marshall. Specimens: VIC: Geelong (Bot. Gds).
Meyer & Hardin (1987).
Source: (2002). Hippocastanaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
Aesculus hippocastanum 'Baumanii'
Flowers white and sterile, lasting longer than those of the species; Oct. Widely used overseas as a park and street tree but rare in Australia. Specimens vic: Melbourne (Royal Bot. Gds).