Horsechestnut, Red | Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

A young red horse chestnut outside of the Science and Math Complex.

A closeup of red horse chestnut flowers in bloom.

Red horse chestnut flowers and foliage against a blue, summer sky.

Scientific name: Aesculus x carnea

Common name: Red horsechestnut

Native: No

Native range: Red horse chestnut is a cultivated hybrid of A. hippocastanum (native to the Balkans) and A. pavia (native to North America) [1,4]. It has been planted in urban settings across the United States [1,2].

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

USDA Zones: 5-7 [1]

Maximum age: The average lifespan of A. hippocastanum is listed as falling between 100-300 years [7,3]. Hence, it is likely that red horse chestnut is similarly long-lived.

Ecology: It is unclear how wildlife utilize red horse chestnut, but its parent species - A. hippocastanum and A. pavia - are utilized by bees, hummingbirds, deer, and squirrels [3,4,5].

Ethnobotany: The parent species - A. hippocastanum and A. pavia - are used for a variety of medicinal purposes in several European folk medicine traditions and Indigenous American traditions [3,5,6].