 The horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, is a deciduous hardwood tree of the buckeye family, Hippocastanaceae. Native to the Balkan peninsula, it has been planted worldwide as a landscape tree. It was introduced into the United States and has become naturalized on the east coast. The tree is characterized by palmately compound leaves with seven leaflets that are somewhat oval in shape. Its seeds, which resemble those of chestnuts and are encased in a spiny capsule, are inedible and considered poisonous to humans. They are eaten, however, by deer and squirrels. |
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