Aesculus californica

$14.30 – $42.40

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California buckeye

This drought tolerant deciduous tree grows 15-40′ tall with a spread of 30-60′. A moderately paced grower, it will reach about 20′ in 8 years, growing at a rate of about 3′ per year. Space 30’0″ apart.

California buckeye provides year-round beauty to the garden. During the dormant season, the handsome, thick-stemmed silhouette and silvery smooth bark is revealed. Apple green foliage bursts forth in early spring. Beautifully abundant candelabra-like flowers bloom from April -June and visited by nectar seeking hummingbirds. If that isn’t enough, large chestnut-brown seeds then appear in the fall.

Little pruning needed.

Lifeform: Tree

Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade

Water: Dry, High, Light, Moderate

Soil: Clay, Loam, Rocky, Sand

Other: Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Erosion Control

 

Container

4-Gal, TB4-O, TB4O, TP4-O, TP4O, 15-Gal, 15-GalS, D-40, TB4, TB4S, TP4
Ecological Value

Many native insects, including native bees, use it as a nectar source. When there is no other nectar source, high concentrations of buckeye nectar can be poisonous to honeybees.
Historical Uses

Many California native groups considered the seeds of the buckeye to be a backup food crop in times when acorn harvests were lean. Leaves, new shoots, and seeds could were used as a fish poison
Distribution

Found in dry slopes and canyons in coast ranges and Sierra Nevada from Siskiyou and Shasta Co's, south to LA and Kern Co's. Endemic to CA alone.
Elevation

Between 0 and 4000 feet
Communities
Habitat

Foothill Woodland in dry canyons and slopes

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