Horse Chestnut

[Ipso Facto]

Are the horse chestnut trees with red blossoms and those white exactly the same species?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Ipso Facto

Are the horse chestnut trees with red blossoms and those white exactly the same species?

Its a bit of a coincidence but i overheard some1 talking about this in the park yesterday. They said something about it being a cross between our horse chesnut and an american species. Its funny because i thought 'I bet some1 asks that on WAB'

[Hornbeam]

The red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea) is a cross between the conker horse chestnut and the American red buckeye. The hybrid doubled its chromosomes so it breeds true. The horse chestnut which gives us our conkers is a native of northern Greece and Albania and was brought to Britain in 1616. The red buckeye is a native of south-eastern USA and was brought to Britain in 1711 - so the red horse chestnut would never have happened if left to nature. The cross occurred about 1818.

[thunder]

Red Horse Chestnuts are usually Aesculus x carnea, a cross between 'ordinary white' Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum (which is introduced from the Balkans) and Red Buckeye Aesculus pavia, though Red Buckeye, which does come from the USA, is occasionally planted.

henrya

Hornbeam beat me to it, but we seem to agree!

[Ipso Facto]

Okay, that was the starter for 10 and I thank you for answers (I was glad not to disappoint when I posed the question in the first place Ukwildifeo ) but for the bonus, one of the trees outside my house has a definite yellow tinge to the blossom - is that different again?

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Ipso Facto

but for the bonus, one of the trees outside my house has a definite yellow tinge to the blossom - is that different again?

Could be Dallimore's Chestnut - do the leaves have points on them? Does it flower about two weeks after your standard white Horse Chestnuts?

Seems to be the result of a fusion between Horse Chestnut and Yellow Buckeye (not a genetic hybrid). Quite uncommon, as I interpret my book.

Also Yellow Buckeye is a possibility, the flower spikes are described as 'meagre' and they don't appear to open as much as Horse Chestnut.

henrya

[Ipso Facto]

Originally Posted by thunder

Could be Dallimore's Chestnut - do the leaves have points on them? Does it flower about two weeks after your standard white Horse Chestnuts?

Seems to be the result of a fusion between Horse Chestnut and Yellow Buckeye (not a genetic hybrid). Quite uncommon, as I interpret my book.

Also Yellow Buckeye is a possibility, the flower spikes are described as 'meagre' and they don't appear to open as much as Horse Chestnut.

henrya

Wow! Thank you henrya ... I have lived next to that tree for the last 30 years but until now I had not actually looked - I had just assumed it was "a horse chestnut"!

The leaves seem to be the real give away (scanned images ... red and yellow side by side for camparison) and the yellow version is indeed pointed.




As for the flowers, you would have to define the word meagre more closely. I suppose they are slightly smaller than the adjacent red if you look closely but they are just as prolific; I didn't notice when they flowered compared to the other trees in the vacinity.



I am amazed and I must take more notice when they fruit! Thanks again.

[Fourwings]

Thats really interesting stuff, I must try to look more closely at the Horse chestnuts around my area, I had no idea they were so interesting.

[SparklySarah]

We seem to have 'candle trees' everywhere allong the route to my college. They do look beautiful when they're all in bloom.

[Susieanna]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

Thats really interesting stuff, I must try to look more closely at the Horse chestnuts around my area, I had no idea they were so interesting.

I was just thinking the same! I'll be checking them all out now.