Meet the Red Buckeye

Red Buckeye | Aesculus pavia

How do you know it’s me?:

• I am a small deciduous tree.

• My blooms are long (6” - 8” long) red panicles, with tube-shaped flowers loosely arranged on a red, upright stem.

• After flowering, I produce bulbous, heavy seed pods with a leathery husk. After falling, the husk splits to reveal a cluster of 1-3 glossy brown seeds.

• My leaves are opposite and compound, in a “palmate” shape (which means the leaflets - usually 5 - are attached at a single point).

• Each leaflet is long, glossy green, with serrated margins and defines veins.

• I have gray-brown bark that is smooth when young, but develops a rougher texture with age.

How big do I grow?: 15’ - 25’ height and 10’ - 20’ spread.

Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Part shade. I can handle more sun in the cooler regions of my range.

Where I prefer to put my roots: Moist, well-drained soil, though I am adaptable.

Hardiness: Zone 4-8

Original home: I am native to the central and eastern United States.

Colors: Red flowers, though one variety has yellow flowers. My leaves can have a reddish fall color.

When I bloom: Spring.

Wildlife friends: Hummingbirds and butterflies love my flowers, and squirrels enjoy my seeds.

Flora Fun Facts: I tend to drop my leaves earlier than many other deciduous trees - usually by the end of summer or early fall.

More Info: This short-statured buckeye, also called the “Firecracker Plant,” is a native plant that shines for a couple weeks in the spring, before fading into the background of the landscape.

• A member of the Sapindaceae (Maple) family.

• The seed is poisonous to humans, dogs, cats, and horses.

• This plant tends to drop its leaves earlier than many other deciduous trees - usually by the end of summer or early fall.

• The variety flavescens (var. flavescens) has yellow flowers and is only found naturally in central Texas. The standard pavia can hybridize with the yellow variety, producing flowers with combinations of yellow and red.

• A great choice for a native plant garden, a woodland area, a specimen tree, or a butterfly garden.