Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
- Native to:
- Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, NW. Balkan Pen., Türkiye, Turkmenistan
User:Kilom691
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Sapindaceae
- Genus:
- Aesculus
- Species:
- Aesculus hippocastanum
- USDA Symbol:
- AEHI
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- 2500 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun,Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- may,jun
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★★★☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Chain-lined geometer moth (Cingilia catenaria), Confused Morrisonia (Morrisonia confusa), elm spanworm moth (Ennomos subsignaria), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Frosted Dagger Moth (Acronicta hastulifera), fruit-tree leafroller (Archips argyrospila), hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Horned Spanworm (Nematocampa resistaria), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), Isa textula, Limbata angle moth (Nematocampa limbata), maple twig borer (Proteoteras aesculana), Olethreutes cespitana, Stigmella apicialbella, White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), witch hazel dagger moth (Acronicta hamamelis)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Hummingbirds: Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, birds
- Fall Color:
- yellow, orange, brown
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers deep, fertile soils in its native range
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 90–120 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Seeds lose viability quickly if allowed to dry out. Best sown fresh in fall or stored moist over winter. Large seeds germinate readily with cold stratification.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI