Ohio Buckeye
(Hippocastanaceae
Aesculus glabra)
Adopted in 1953.
The nickname for Ohio and
its inhabitants--Buckeye,
Hippocastanaceae Aesculus
glabra, became official
in 1953 when the legislature
named the Ohio Buckeye the
state tree. The buckeye tree
derives the name from its
large brown seeds, which
resemble the eyes of the
white-tailed deer. Below is
the section of the Ohio
Revised Code naming our
state tree.
Ohio buckeye also known
as American buckeye, fetid
buckeye, and stinking
buck-eye, derives its
unflattering common names
from the disagreeable odor
that emanates when the
leaves are crushed. The tree
is an attractive ornamental,
but it has limited
commercial use as sawtimber
because of the soft, light
wood. The bark and seeds
contain a narcotic glucoside
considered poisonous to
livestock, leading many
landowners to eradicate it.
5.05 Official state tree
The tree, Aesculus
glabra, commonly
known as the
"Buckeye" is hereby
adopted as the
official tree of the
state. (125 v 14,
eff. 10-2-53)
Library References:
OJur 3d: 84, State of
Ohio § 8
Description:
- Size: There
are several varieties of
Buckeye trees, but the
type which has become
the mascot of The Ohio
State University is the
Ohio Buckeye. It grows
best in the Ohio
wetlands near the Ohio
River, but is found just
about everywhere in the
mid-west, 30'-50' in
height, 2'-3' in
diameter
- Growth: grows
best in deep fertile
soils, will usually
reach maturity in 60-80
years
- Leaf:
Opposite, palmately
compound with 5
leaflets. Oval to
obovate leaflets are 3
to 6 inches long with a
serrated margin, rachis
about as long as
leaflets. Dark green
above and paler below.
Strong fetid odor when
crushed.
- Flower: Light
yellow, in large, 4 to 7
inch, showy, upright
clusters. Stamens are
longer than petals.
Appear in April to May.
- Fruit:
Prickly, leathery husk
enclosing usually 1
smooth chestnut brown
seed (1 to 1 1/2 inches
in diameter). Borne on a
stout stalk and mature
in October. The Buckeye
Nut comes from the
Indian word "hetuck"
which means
eye-of-a-buck. In
addition to increasing
the bearer's sexual
power, the buckeye is
thought by many people
in the eastern and
southern United States
to be a sure preventive
of rheumatism,
arthritis, or headache.
Identical beliefs were
recorded in Germany and
the Netherlands during
the early 19th century,
but there the preventive
power was attributed to
the buckeye's European
relative, the
horse-chestnut. It is
probable that European
immigrants transferred
the horse-chestnut's
magical ability to the
buckeye when they
settled in America. This
beautiful nut is the
fruit of the Buckeye
tree.
- Twig: Stout,
with a large shield
shaped leaf scar. Fetid
odor when broken.
Terminal buds are large,
orangish brown with
keeled scales. Opposite
lateral buds are much
smaller.
- Bark:
Initially smooth, ashy
gray but later
developing corky, scaly
patches, becoming quite
rough and darker gray.
- Form:
Upright, medium sized
tree, 60 to 80 feet
tall, 2 feet in
diameter. Oblong crown
with pendulous up
turning branches.
Taxonomic
Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae --
Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta –
Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta –
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida –
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Rosidae – |
Order |
Sapindales – |
Family |
Hippocastanaceae
– Horse-chestnut
family |
Genus |
Aesculus
L. – buckeye |
Species |
Aesculus
glabra
Willd. – Ohio
buckeye |
Source:
Dendrology at
Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
|