Aesculus flava Sweet buckeye (Hippocastanaceae) Deciduous tree

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Aesculus flava
Sweet buckeye
Deciduous tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Aesculus flava plant species is found in Eastern N. America - Pennsylvanica to Tennesee and west to Ohio. It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Sweet buckeye. Some home gardeners know the variety as Ae lutea. Ae octandra.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Aesculus flava
Common Name:  Sweet buckeye
Family:  Hippocastanaceae
Author:  Sol.

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:  20   Mature Width:  8

Habitat:  Rich river-bottoms and mountain slopes[82]. Woodland on moist rich soils[43]

Edible Uses: Seed - cooked. Said to be as sweet as a chestnut[105, 177]. The seed can be up to 45mm in diameter and is easily harvested[82]. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel. The seed contans saponins and needs to be leached of these toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the North American Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days[213, 229]. The resulting product is said to be tasty and nutritious[229], though most of the minerals etc would have been leached out[K]. The flowers contain a sweet nectar which is delicious when sucked out[245].

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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'.
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