Bottlebrush Buckeye
Photos by Matt Whitaker
Scientific Description: Bottlebrush Buckeye – Aesculus parviflora - is a member of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), which used to be the horse-chestnut family. Its genus name, Aesculus, is the same as that for the common American horse-chestnut. This shrub (shrubs are woody and have multiple stems, whereas trees are also woody but have only one stem) is native to the southeastern United States.
The bottlebrush buckeye can achieve a height of 8’ to 15’ in height and a drip diameter of 12’ – 15’. It has white flowers that look a bit like a bottlebrush that are about 12” long between June and July. They also include red anthers that offset the white petals.
Mid-summer blooms on a mature shrub can be rather remarkable. After flowering, the plant gives way to glossy, inedible, pear-shaped nuts (buckeyes) encased in husks. However, these nuts are rarely produced in cultivation in the northern parts of this shrub's growing range. These nuts should NEVER be eaten by humans, since they are toxic.
The foliage turns yellow in autumn.
Habitat Value: The bottlebrush buckeye successfully grows in hardiness zones 4 – 8. And since Chattanooga is located in zone 7, it is a good candidate for our area.
This species does well in full sun to partial shade areas. It needs moderate moisture and is rather low in its maintenance needs. It prefers moist loamy soils and is intolerant of drought conditions. It would have to be watered during a drought, at least for the first few years, until the root system is fully established.
The bottlebrush buckeye is best planted as a specimen with plenty of space around it. It can also be used as a hedge with light pruning, as a screen to block out otherwise visible areas of the yard, or as a massing area to accent part of the yard.
This species attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and is a food source for many animal species, particularly deer, rodents, and some larger birds.
Bottlebrush buckeye can develop leaf scorch in sunny locations. Anthracnose, rust, and powdery mildew rarely occur. Occasionally, canker, leaf blotch, scale, and Japanese beetles can be problems. Generally, healthy plants show no problems.
Photos by Matt Whitaker
Landscape Value: By Matt Whitaker of WMWA Landscape Architects
Aesculus parviflora is an excellent plant for massing, in a border, screen, or as a specimen. While it tolerates full sun and will be at its densest in sun, it also performs exceptionally well in shade with a more open dogwood-like form. Few large shrubs/small trees are as well suited for your lawn as this.
The dense foliage and mounding habit are beautiful, even without the blooms. Either from the density of foliage or allopathic effect, few, if any, weed seedlings appear under bottlebrush buckeye, making it truly a low maintenance plant.
In flower, the 12-inch-long 4-inch-wide panicles of bottlebrush buckeye make it outstanding, with few summer blooming plants that rival its display. Its fruit, the buckeyes, are beautiful and successfully re-seed at a rate that is not annoying but is successful enough that you can give buckeyes to your closest friends and family. I planted a hedge of this on Lookout Mountain in 2014 that is now 10 feet high and wide and 60 feet long. I saw it on the 4th of July, and it was spectacular.
