Horse-chestnut - Aesculus hippocastanum
Species
Other Names
Description
Large tree to 25 metres. Buds large, deep brown and sticky. Leaves pinnate with 5 to 7 leaflets, coarse toothed. Flowers white each of the 4 petals with a yellow or pink blotch at the base 9 to 11 mm in large erect conical panicles
. Fruit globose up to 6 cm yellowish green when ripe, spiny splitting to reveal 1 or 2 shiny brown seeds (conkers).
Habitat
Open wooded areas.
When to see it
May and June.
Life History
Deciduous.
UK Status
Common in Britain though slightly less so in Scotland
VC55 Status
Quite common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 417 of the 617 tetrads.
Further Information
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Graham Calow
Donkey Lane Copse, Sapcote - 24 May 2006 -
Alan Semper
Harby churchyard - 11 September 2011 -
Peter Smith
Cropston Reservoir - 17 September 2011 -
David Nicholls
Rutland Water - 22 March 2012
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
UK Map
On the Leicestershire & Rutland map above, red = NatureSpot records, green = NBN records. You can add a dot to this map if you submit a wildlife sighting (with or without an image). You can also find out more about these species distribution maps on our Maps help page.
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Additional Images
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David Nicholls
Market Bosworth Country Park - 01 March 2012 -
Peter Smith
Cropston Reservoir - 17 September 2011 -
Alan Semper
Harby churchyard - 24 May 2012 -
Barbara Cooper
Clawson Hill - 26 May 2012 -
Alan Semper
Harby, nature reserve - 13 September 2012
