Scientific Name
Aesculus glabra
Ohio buckeye, along with others of its genus, is one of the minority of trees growing in our region with a palmate-compound leaf, the five leaflets radiating out from a central point, somewhat like the digits of a human hand. The state tree unsurprisingly of Ohio, can exceed 100 feet in height in native habitat but is seldom half that tall in Denver, as shown by the Colorado champions ranging from 43 to 75 feet tall. Like all buckeyes, this one has stout twigs with large end buds. The branching pattern is most visible during winter; it tends to dip down and then turn up at the ends. The canopy is quite dense and often develops a rounded symmetric shape.
Buckeye flowers emerge in large upright clusters at the same time as the leaves and are impressive up close but don’t stand out at a distance, being similar in color to the new leaves. The leaves are the best way to identify this tree’s genus, but to distinguish it from other kinds of buckeyes (and horse chestnuts, which are in the same genus), examining the fruit is likely best. The fruits are familiar to most people — tan leathery spine-covered husks that at maturity in the fall split open to release one to three polished rich red-brown nuts that have a tan spot on one side where it was attached to the plant; this is the “eye of the buck,” so to speak. The nutmeat of all the trees in this genus is inedible by humans, though deer will consume it, and squirrels find it marginally palatable if food supplies are thin. The bark of these trees is lighter than most deciduous trees in our region and can be described as ashy gray with scaly patches. In the fall, Ohio buckeye trees are among the first to change color and usually turn an admirable orange red.