Common Horsechestnut
(Aesculus hippocastanum)
Tree near beginning of Forest Preserve, west side of Rangeley Road, behind UMaine Granite Stone Entry Monument
- Deciduous, broadleaf tree native to Balkan Peninsula, including Albania, Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria. Common in parks, street sides and village greens.
- When ripe, a horsechestnut turns an attractive, shiny dark mahogany brown. Beautiful flower clusters; good ornamental tree.
- Not related to American chestnut (Castanea dentata), but is related to the Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra).
- Famous use of nut is in schoolyard game of conkers, first recorded on England’s Isle of Wight, 1848. Species introduced to England in 1600s.