Aesculus x carnea Red horse chestnut (Hippocastanaceae) Deciduous tree

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Aesculus x carnea
Red horse chestnut
Deciduous tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Aesculus x carnea plant species is found in A cultivated hybrid of garden origin, A. hippocastanum x A. pavia. It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Red horse chestnut.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Aesculus x carnea
Common Name:  Red horse chestnut
Family:  Hippocastanaceae
Author:  Hayne.

Known Hazards:  The seed is rich in saponins[169]. 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:

Habitat:  Not known in the wild.

Edible Uses: We have no details for this species, but the following notes almost certainly apply to it. Seed - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel.The seed is quite large, about 20mm in diameter, and is also easily harvested. Unfortunately, it is rich in saponins and these toxins need to be removed before the seed can be eaten. See also the notes above on toxicity. The following notes apply to A. californica, but are probably also relevant here:- The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the 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]. Most of the minerals etc would also have been leached out by this treatment[K].

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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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