Buckeyes in Bloom

Common Horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), a species originally from SE Europe/Asia, now widely cultivated. Note that some are yellow inside, some pinkish-red; the latter have already been pollinated. Red Horsechestnut, a hybrid of Horsechestnut and Red Buckeye, Aesculus X carnea. (Unless it’s a hybrid of Red Buckeye and Yellow Buckeye, Aesculus X hybrida.) The above two are near-neighbors in Green-Wood.Yellow Buckeye (A. flava), also known as Sweet Buckeye and Big Buckeye, has much less showy flowers. The stamens don’t even project (as they do for the Ohio Buckeye (A. glabra). This is a magnificent specimen tucked into the edge of the Long Meadow in Prospect Park; it usually produces a rich crop of seeds, known as buckeyes or conkers. Yellow Buckeye is native to the Ohio River valley and the nearby Appalachian region.