Painted Buckeye is a deciduous large shrub or small tree common in rich bottomland forests. It is one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring, as early as mid-March.
Orange Co., NC 3/9/08.
Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Sapindales>Hippocastanaceae>Aesculus sylvatica Bartram
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| Painted Buckeye is a deciduous large shrub or small tree common in rich bottomland forests. It is one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring, as early as mid-March. Orange Co., NC 3/9/08. |
| Painted Buckeyes produce panicles of greenish-yellow flowers from late March to mid-April. Mason Farm, Orange Co., NC 4/20/2003. |
| Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
| Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
| The flowers are nectar sources for hummingbirds and butterflies, such as this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
| Flowers are usually greenish-yellow, but the color is variable. Eno River State Park, Durham Co., NC 4/14/2002. |
| Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
| The opposite leaves are palmately compound, straight-veined, and toothed. |
| A seedling, viewed from above, showing the distinctive leaf arrangement. Durham, NC 4/4/07. |
| Ripening nut. Durham Co., NC 7/24/03. |
| Bark detail. Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
| Bark of a larger tree. Mecklenburg Co., VA 5/2/05. |
| Habit. Most often encountered as a sprawling large shrub in the understory of bottomland deciduous forests. Durham Co., NC 4/1/07. |
More information:
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
NC State Fact Sheets: Trees | Poisonous Plants
Virginia Tech Dendrology
Revised 3/16/08 cwcook@duke.edu
All photographs and text ©2008 by Will Cook unless otherwise noted.