The horse chestnut — a European native — belongs to a genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs
and lofty trees. The common, or European, horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) can grow 70 to 100
feet tall with a dense canopy of foliage that casts deep shade. The smaller red horse chestnut (A.
xcarnea) — so named for its reddish-pink blooms — is smaller in stature, but still grows to 30 to 40
feet.

Palmate leaves form the backdrop for beautiful blooms that adorn the tree like hundreds of foot-tall
candelabras, dispensing nectar for nearby hummingbirds. Inside the prickly seedpods — round, leathery
greenish fruits known as conkers — are several inedible glossy seeds emerging from their pods in
fall. The fresh, bitter seeds are toxic unless properly processed. ~ www.herbcompanion.com/

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