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Aesculus chinensis Chinese horse chestnut Deciduous tree (1 Page of 5) The Aesculus chinensis plant species is found in E. Asia - N. China. It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Chinese horse chestnut. Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses Latin Name: Aesculus chinensis Common Name: Chinese horse chestnut Family: Hippocastanaceae Author: Bunge. Known Hazards: The seed is rich in saponins. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisible to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. Mature Height: 25 Mature Width: 10 Habitat: Mountains of Szechuan[178]
Propagation Notes: Seed - best sown outdoors or in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[11, 80]. The seed germinates almost immediately and must be given protection from severe weather[130]. The seed has a very limited viability and must not be allowed to dry out. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours prior to sowing and even after this may still not be viable[80, 113]. It is best to sow the seed with its 'scar' downwards[130]. If sowing the seed in a cold frame, pot up the seedlings in early spring and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
For further Aesculus chinensis gardening information click on one of the blue links below Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses
The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'. View their bibliography

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