FRUIT.—October; a leathery, globular capsule about 2 inches in diameter, roughened with short spines; containing 1-3 large, smooth, lustrous, brown nuts, marked by large, pale scars.
WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal buds 1-1-1/2 inches long, acute, brownish, covered with glistening, resinous gum; inner scales yellowish, becoming 1-1/2-2 inches long in spring, remaining until the leaves are nearly half grown.
BARK.—Twigs smooth, red-brown; trunk dark brown and broken into thin plates by shallow fissures; rich in tannin, bitter.
WOOD.—Light, soft, close-grained, weak, whitish, with thin, light brown sapwood.
NOTES.—A native of Greece, extensively cultivated throughout Europe and America, where it is a favorite shade tree. A double-flowered variety, Aesculus hippocastanum, v. flòre plèno, which bears no fruit is a common garden form.
Ohio Buckeye
