Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum): Conker Tree

Horse chestnut, or conker tree, is a large deciduous tree native to the Balkans, widely planted in temperate regions for its showy spring flowers and large, spiny capsules containing shiny seeds (conkers).

Botanical Profile

Description and Features

This tree grows 50–75 feet tall with a domed crown. Leaves are palmately compound with 5–7 leaflets. Flowers are white with a pink/yellow blotch, in upright panicles (candles). Fruit is a green, spiny capsule splitting to reveal 1–3 glossy brown seeds. Bark is gray, flaky.

Cultivation and Uses

Horse chestnut prefers full sun to partial shade, moist, well-drained soil. It is a classic park and avenue tree. The seeds are toxic (aesculin) but used in herbal medicine for venous insufficiency. The game of conkers uses the seeds.

Pests

Horse chestnut leaf miner and bleeding canker are serious issues in Europe.