Aesculus hippocastanum, the horse chestnut, is a species of flowering plant in the maple, soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large, deciduous, synoecious (hermaphroditic-flowered) tree. It is also called horse-chestnut, European horsechestnut, buckeye, and conker tree. It is not to be confused with the sweet chestnut or Spanish chestnut, Castanea sativa, which is a tree in another family, Fagaceae.
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Is it poisonous?
Considered toxic. Public sources list it as such; we have not verified this individually. All parts of the raw plant are poisonous due to saponins and glycosides such as aesculin, causing nausea, muscle twitches, and sometimes paralysis Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Aesculus turbinata — toxic
- Aesculus indica — toxic
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Sapindales
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Genus
- Aesculus
- Species
- Aesculus hippocastanum
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