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    • Photo of Aesculus californica flower, foliage by David Baron

    Photo by David Baron

    This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

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    Buy Aesculus californica

    Also Known As

    • California Buckeye
    • California Horse Chestnut

    Plant type

    tree, shrub

    size

    • H: 10'-40'
    • W: 15'-40'

    planting zones

    • 6b-11

    2 inch wide, 4-6 inch deep tube | $19.95

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    Fewer than 21 at Forestfarm

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    Aesculus californica plant details

    Aesculus californica is a broadleaf deciduous shrub or tree with green foliage. In summer cream and pink flowers emerge followed by brown fruit. Attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - dappled shade and even moisture - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Prefers to be dry in summer. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in acidic, average, clay, gritty, lean, rich, rocky and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant.

    CHARACTERISTICS OF Aesculus californica

    Plant type: shrub or tree
    Plant family: sapindaceae
    Foliage: deciduous green
    Mature size: 15 FT - 40 FT - wide, 10 FT - 40 FT - tall
    Flowers: cream and pink blooms in summer
    Uses: fragrant, small tree, xeric

    GROWING CONDITIONS for Aesculus californica

    USDA Zones: 6b - 11
    Sun exposure: sun - dappled shade
    Watering frequency: even moisture - low
    Resistant to: deer, heat
    Soil needs: acidic, average, clay, gritty, lean, rich, rocky and well-drained

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    Nursery contributed plant descriptions

    A beautiful large shrub/small tree native to the dry slopes of California, growing quickly to 15?, bright-green compound leaves in spring contrast with the striking, fragrant, white flowers spikes which become pear shaped fruits, the leaves drop early to avoid drought-stress, by then, the fruits have split to reveal the shiny brown seeds within, the seeds persist and the leafless tree becomes showy yet again; toxic to non-native bees, but loved by native pollinators, drought-tolerant once established. S/M-D

    By: Forestfarm

    Fast growing from its huge nuts we had to pot them in two gallon pots the first year. They should eventially grow to 15' or more with fragrant white flowers that butterflies find attractive. It is very tolerant of summer drought. Hardiness zones are all over the place but Siskiyou calls it zone 6 and they are usually pretty reliable.

    By: Arrowhead Alpines

    This drought tolerant deciduous tree grows 15 to 30'. California buckeye provides year-round beauty to the garden. During the dormant season, the handsome, thick-stemmed silhouette and silvery smooth bark is revealed. Apple green foliage bursts forth in early spring. Beautifully abundant candelabra like flowers bloom from April -June and visited by nectar seeking hummingbirds. If that isn't enough, large chestnut-brown seeds then appear in the fall. Use as a single specimen in the landscape or plant several as an informal hedge. This plant combines well with evergreens such as coast live oak and California bay. Little pruning needed. Endemic to California. It's shallow spreading roots make this tree an excellent slope stabilizer. Many native insects, including native bees, use it as a nectar source. When there is no other nectar source, high concentrations of buckeye nectar can be poisonous to honeybees. Many California native groups considered the seeds of the buckeye to be a backup food crop in times when acorn harvests were lean. Leaves, new shoots, and seeds could were used as a fish poison and the wood provided a fast growing source of material for constructing shelters and various tools. Found in foothill woodland in dry canyons and slopes. Communitites located in Foothill woodlands Between 0 and 4000 feet.

    By: The Watershed Nursery

    This multi-trunked deciduous tree is one of our most unusual native trees. A hardwood with smooth bark and oblong leaves, it grows up to 40' tall with a broad crown. Early spring leaves open apple green, then darken to forest green, changing to yellow-brown in July and finally to rust before falling in August and September. These late season colors offer one of California's most memorable sights, the silver-gray trunks with a few remaining cinnamon leaves and pear-shaped fruits, standing against buff-colored hills. The fruits, each containing a single inedible seed, continue to develop on bare stems into fall. Adaptable long-lived tree, requiring little care. Flowers are large and pinkish-white, appearing April to June. With occasional summer water the leaves will remain on the trees until fall but the winter silhouette is perhaps its most alluring feature. Adapts to most soils, but prefers full or part shade and room to accommodate its widespreading habit. Native Americans leached the seeds to obtain a starch for flour. Hardy to 0 °F. Siskiyou Mountains south to Los Angeles.

    By: Native Sons

    Deciduous, preading shrub, summer panicles of creamy white flowers, tinged pink. Tollerates dry summers Zone 7-9.15', CA, OR, sun, moist, well drained

    By: Keeping it Green Nursery

    This California native has come up with a rather interesting way of adapting to drought. It is one of the first hardy shrubs to leaf out in the spring, but when summer drought gets severe the leaves can just drop off without any harm to the plant. So it is not strictly winter deciduous or summer deciduous, but in most gardens it behaves more like a winter deciduous tree. The large palmately compound leaves resemble those of Horsechestnut, but slightly smaller; and showy white flowers appear on mature plants. These are followed by huge seeds in cool spiny husks in late fall. It is a vigorous grower without getting too tall—15' being a common mature height—and tends to be multi-stemmed if not trained to a single trunk. It can handle sun or part shade, and dry or irrigated garden conditions. Our collection shared with us by George Guthrie from the Medford, Oregon area (the northern extent of its range) should be hardy to at least -15 °F.

    By: The Desert Northwest

    Ghostly gray-white winter stems on low and spreading tree. Upright fragrant cream colored plumes in spring. 10-20' tall X 30' wide.

    By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

    Gardening facts about Aesculus californica plant

    How to Grow Aesculus californica

    • Sun Exposure

      • sun - dappled shade

    • Water Needs

      • even moisture - drought tolerant

    • Water Needs

      • dry in summer

    • Soil Needs

      • clay
      • acidic
      • adaptable
      • average
      • lean
      • well-drained
      • rich
      • rocky
      • gritty

    • Special Situation

      • heat tolerant

    Features

    • Foliage Color

      • green

    • Flower Color

      • cream
      • pink

    • Wildlife

      • bees
      • butterflies
      • hummingbirds
      • deer resistant

    • Fruit

      • brown

    • Flower Season

      • summer

    • Foliage Season

      • deciduous

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