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California Buckeye
Aesculus californica
  
68 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) 68 Nurseries Carry This Plant California Buckeye (also known as California Horse-chestnut) is a large shrub or small tree. It is typically multi-trunked and spreads out, with a crown as broad as it is high. California Buckeye is a species in the Sapindaceae family that is endemic to California; it is the only buckeye native to the state.

California Buckeye has gray bark that is often coated with lichens or mosses. It has dark green leaves that can be prone to damage from both spring freezing or snow and summer heat. It tends to leaf out in early spring, followed by creamy-white to pale pink-flower spikes. Some say the flowers resemble candles from afar and butterflies love them!

It has large, shiny round nut-like fruit that appear in late summer and drop in late fall to early winter. Be careful when using this plant in the garden, because all parts of the fruits are toxic.

This plant is very drought tolerant and does well on dry slopes, but looks better with some water. Native (white-flowered) varieties seem to have lower water requirements and are tolerant of recycled water.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
13.1 - 39.4 ft tall
40 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Cream

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Native insects including several butterfly species are attracted to the flowers. It is said to be toxic to non-native bees. Important nectar source in the late spring to migrant butterflies.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed , 11 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Celastrina echo Image
Pacific Azure Celastrina echoCelastrina echo
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana
*
Antheraea polyphemus Image
Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus
*
Orthosia hibisci Image
Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth Orthosia hibisciOrthosia hibisci
*
Archips argyrospila Image
Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila
*
Nematocampa resistaria Image
Filament Bearer Nematocampa resistariaNematocampa resistaria
*
Amyelois transitella Image
Navel Orangeworm Amyelois transitellaAmyelois transitella

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 68

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -5° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils including clay. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 4.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier pallida or utahensis), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Ceanothus sp., Larkspur (Delphinium sp.), Buckwheat (Erogonum sp.), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), White Pitchersage (Lepechinia calycina), Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Oak (Quercus sp.), Redberry (Rhamnus crocea), Currant (Ribes sp.), Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea), Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), as well as numerous annual wildflowers.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment; use fresh seeds.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry slopes, canyons or stream edges, most often in the Coast Ranges or Sierra foothills.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 109.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.49", Coldest Month: 28.2" - 56.6", Hottest Month: 49.8" - 78.5", Humidity: 0.08" - 29.30", Elevation: 4" - 10807"

Alternative Names
Common Names: California Horse Chestnut, Shrub California Buckeye


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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