OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Sapindales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Aesculus flava   FAMILY Sapindaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aesculus flava   FAMILY Hippocastanaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Aesculus flava

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 116-01-003:

Aesculus octandra   FAMILY Hippocastanaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Aesculus octandra

 

COMMON NAME:
Yellow Buckeye


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux    dcp34_p43a

        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_737

        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_aeoc2_001_lvd

        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / US Forest Service    pnd_aeoc2_002_lvd

        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / US Forest Service    pnd_aescu_002_lvp

        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0303j_21

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0303k_19

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0403b_14

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

In general, Yellow Buckeye is found in mountainous areas, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0503a_17

March    Polk County    NC

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0503a_21

March    Polk County    NC

As the bud scales separate, the leaves become visible.

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm120330_305b

March    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Corolla tubular with 4 very unequal petals; stamens shorter than petals, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE flowers of Buckeye species

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm140322_356

March    Oconee County    SC

Oconee Station/Station Cove

One of the earliest trees to leaf out in the Spring.

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm160323_061

March    Polk County    NC

Pearson's Falls

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm120414_939b

April    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Calyx tomentose, glandular hairy, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm120414_939c

April    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Upper petals often streaked with red, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm120414_939d

April    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm150423_549

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm150425_817

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm170408_476

April    Laurens County    SC

Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_a_flava_yellow_1

April        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_aesculus_flava

April        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_aesculus_flava_2

April        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    s050417_ab

April    Polk County    NC

Opposite, palmately compound leaves with usually 5 finely toothed leaflets, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Sam Pratt    sbp_20140418_162249

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Sam Pratt    sbp_20140418_162457

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm160503_174

May    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_aesculus_flava2

May        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Ron Lance    rwl28_a

May        

With age bark becomes scaly or with large gray to brown plates, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm100626_080

June    Avery County    NC

The Roan Highlands

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm200606_5644

June    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm0407n_28

July    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Early to begin turning color in the Fall.

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm150808_648

August    McDowell County?    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm150808_682

August    McDowell County?    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm150927_235

September    Henderson County    NC

Bearwallow Mountain

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_aesculus_flava_9605_4

September        

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

JK Marlow    jkm121007_409

October    Wythe County    VA

New River Trail

Young bark gray and smooth, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Sam Pratt    sbp_102721_1062

October    Spartanburg County    SC

in cultivation

Capsules 5-8cm broad, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Aesculus flava, Yellow Buckeye

Sam Pratt    sbp_102721_1063

October    Spartanburg County    SC

in cultivation

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Aesculus flava   FAMILY Sapindaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aesculus flava   FAMILY Hippocastanaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Aesculus flava

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 116-01-003:
Aesculus octandra   FAMILY Hippocastanaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aesculus octandra

 

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28

Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Polygamous

Habitat: Moist forests, up to nearly 2000 m, especially prominent in seepy cove forests, in the Piedmont only in ‘montane’ habitats, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Mountains, rare in Piedmont

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Palmately compound
Opposite

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellow
5-lobed calyx
4 petals
Bisexual & unisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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