Ohio Trees - Yellow Buckeye

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A deciduous tree from the Horsechestnut Family (Hippocastanaceae)

4-8 30' 80' medium full sun
to part sun upright oval moist, well-drained,
acidic soils rich in organic matter and deep

Yellow Buckeye is the tallest and healthiest of the Buckeyes and closely related Horsechestnuts, found in Ohio almost exclusively in the southeastern portion of the state, and also in the extreme southern counties along the Ohio River. Its lightweight wood is valued in the production of furniture, crates, boxes, and artificial limbs, and at one time was used extensively for caskets. A native of central Appalachia and surrounding areas, trees found in the open may easily grow to 80 feet tall by 30 feet wide. As a member of the Horsechestnut Family, it is related to other Horsechestnuts and Buckeyes, including man-made hybrids between the species. This tree was formerly classified by the scientific name of Aesculus octandra.

Planting Requirements - Yellow Buckeye prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter and deep. However, it adapts to average soils that are occasionally dry and of neutral to alkaline pH. Yellow Buckeye tolerates shady conditions in its youth, but grows in full sun to partial sun at maturity, and is found in zones 4 to 8.

Potential Problems - Yellow Buckeye is the healthiest member of the genus Aesculus, and does not usually suffer from leaf blotch, leaf scorch, and powdery mildew on it foliage, which plague the closely related (and much more common) Ohio Buckeye and Horsechestnut. As such, it should be planted more throughout the entire state as a source of food for wildlife, occasional timber, and as the best Buckeye shade tree.
Leaf Identification Features

Yellow Buckeye has opposite, palmately compound leaves that are less prone to the scorching and foliar diseases that are found in Ohio Buckeye and Horsechestnut. As a result, leaves of Yellow Buckeye remain cleaner in summer.

Each leaf generally has five leaflets (rarely seven), and they are a little bit larger overall as compared to Ohio Buckeye, but are not fused at their bases like Horsechestnut. Fall color can be yellow-green with hues of orange in good years, but is often faded green in average years.
Other Identification Features

The flowers of Yellow Buckeye look very similar to those of Ohio Buckeye in early spring, except that their stamens (pollen-bearing structures) are shorter, and do not reach beyond the petals. The perfect flowers occur in a large truss, and give rise to several smooth-husked fruits in a cluster.

By early autumn, each husk splits open to reveal one or two nuts, termed "buckeye" because they supposedly resemble a male deer's eye.

The non-sticky and non-shiny winter buds of Yellow Buckeye are covered with smoothly overlapping scales, rather than having scles that are ridged or flared (as in Ohio Buckeye). If a twig of Yellow Buckeye is cut or crushed, no foul odor is emitted, as is the case in Ohio Buckeye.

The bark of Yellow Buckeye closely resembles Horsechestnut, being smooth and light gray to light brown when young, then breaking into flaky rectangular plates with age, revealing a lighter-colored interior bark.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)