Identifying Horse Chestnut - Aesculus hippocastaneum

The Horse Chestnut is found naturally in parts of Albania and Greece. In the UK, horse chestnuts have been planted as ornamental trees, particularly in suburban roads for their spectacular candles of white or pink flowers.

The Horse Chestnut is also well known amongst the school children and the young at heart for part of its fruit: conkers. Each year the Northamptonshire village of Ashton hosts the World Conker Championships in October. The winner of this competition is lead to a conker throne and presented with a crown of conkers!

Leaf

The leaf is a compound, palmate leaf that has 5 – 7 leaflets. The leaf stalk or petiole is long and slightly swollen where it meets with the stem. The leaflets are narrow at the base and broaden out towards the tip of the leaf. Each leaflet has a prominent central vein / mid-rib. The margin of the leaf is serrated.

Buds, Bark and Stem

The buds are arranged along the twigs in pairs and each pair is set at 90° to the previous pair. The twigs often have many leaf scars, which are often described as horse shoe shaped – even down to the ‘nail holes’ (which is where the fibrous xylem tissue entered the leaf). The buds are protected by scale leaves which have a deep red-brown colour and are sticky.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers of horse chestnut are possibly the most obvious of tree flowers. The tree produces many spikes of white to pale pink flowers (often called candles). The flowers will eventually give rise to the spiked fruits, which contain conkers.

Winter Twigs

Identifying Horse Chestnut - Aesculus hippocastaneum

Leaf

Buds, Bark and Stem

Flowers and Fruits

Winter Twigs

Tree species