Aesculus pavia
Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia is a small deciduous tree or shrub native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States, found from Illinois to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south. It has a number of local names, such as scarlet buckeye or firecracker plant.
The red buckeye is fast growing, though tender to frost. It reaches a height of 5 to 8 metres, often growing in a multi-stemmed form. Its leaves are opposite, and are usually composed of five elliptical serrated leaflets, each 10-15cm long. It bears 10-17cm long clusters of attractive dark red tubular flowers, each in April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite. The smooth light brown fruits, about 3cm in diameter, reach maturity in September and October. A yellow-flowered variety, var. flavescens, is found in higher country in Texas, and hybrids with intermediate flower colour occur. Ornamental varieties such as the low-growing humilis have been developed for garden use.
The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds as well as bees. The fruits are rich in saponins, which are poisonous to humans though not particularly dangerous because they are not easily digested. The oils can be extracted to make a soap, though this is not commercially viable.
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