NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Aesculus flava [= Aesculus octandra]

Yellow Buckeye

Scientific Name:	Aesculus flava [= Aesculus octandra]
Genus:	Aesculus
Species Epithet:	flava
Common Name:	Yellow Buckeye
Plant Type	Tree/Shrub
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Sapindaceae (Soapberry Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	72-100 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Yellow
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist
Bloom Time:	April, May
Growing Area:	Mountains
Habitat Description:	Moist forests, up to nearly 2000m, especially prominent in seepy cove forests, in the Piedmont only in “montane” habitats (Weakley 2015). Common in NC Mountains, rare in Piedmont.
Leaf Arrangement:	Opposite
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Compound
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S5: Secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	Attracts butterflies. Squirrels eat the nut.
Yellow Buckeye is common in the mountains in moist forests, especially on seepage slopes in coves. "One of the largest, most massive, and commonest trees in Southern Appalachian coves, recognizable in winter by the bark of large platelike slabs, thick twigs, and massive form." Weakley Flora May 2011 Paynter, May, 2012
Flowers
Fruit
Aesculus flava tree, Craggy Gardens Picnic Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC © Will Stuart, 2011
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record Vascular Flora of NC: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/plant_list.php NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-flava/