Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Netherlands

Common name: Herfst-paardenkastanje, dwarf horse chestnut

Family: Sapindaceae (Soapberry family)

Distribution: Zuidelijke VS

Life form: Shrub

Comments: Unlike its cousin the horse chestnut, which can grow to at least 30 m, the bottlebrush buckeye is rather small in size. It is definitely a beautiful shrub, with much looser white inflorescences than those of the horse chestnut. It is special in that it flowers in August, making it the latest-flowering species in the genus Aesculus. As a result, the bottlebrush buckeye is a splendid plant at a time when there are very few shrubs in bloom. Its flowers are white in colour, about 1 cm long and form loose panicles of 20-30 cm; the red stamens protrude far out of the flowers.
Although the leaves of this species are smaller than those of its “big cousin”, they are instantly recognisable as an Aesculus species: they are palmately compound with 5-7 leaflets; the upper side of these oval leaflets is bright green, the lower side grey-green and hairy.
The bottlebrush buckeye stems from the Southeast of the United States and was introduced to Europe in 1786.