Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus octandra)
Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus octandra)
A native of North America, the Yellow Buckeye grows in zones 3 to 8 from Pennsylvania to Illinois, south to Tennessee and northern Georgia. It has an upright, oval shape with a slightly spreading crown. A large tree, but still considered better for the landscape than the Ohio Buckeye. It will grow to a height of 50 to 70 feet with a width of 30 to 40 feet. Small yellow/green flowers appear in dense, upwardly-pointing , six to seven inch long terminal panicles in early spring. It shows yellow-orange fall foliage and the husks of the fruit are smooth. Inside is a rounded leathery, dark chocolate to chestnut brown, smooth and shiny nut, with a large light colored hilum so that it resembles an eye. Seeds ripen and fall in September and October. The nuts attract squirrels.