Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

Scientific name: Aesculus hippocastanum

Common name: horse chestnut

Native: No

Native range: Native to the Balkans, but has been widely planted in Great Britain, northern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America [1,2,6,7]. 

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for A. hippocastanum.

USDA Zones: 4-7 [4]

Maximum age: Lives to an average of 300 years [1,5].

Ecology: Bees and other insects consume the nectar, while deers and squirrels forage the seeds [1,4,5].

Ethnobotany: It is primarily valued for its use in plantings, but is also a source of escin, a treatment for chronic venous inefficiency [2]. In its native range of the Balkans, it is used in folk medicine as a pain reliever and to improve circulation [2]. Indigenous American groups use the plant similarly; in particular, the Haudenosaunee use it as an analgesic and to treat lung issues [3].