Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Profile

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) is a medium-sized deciduous tree shrub of the conifer family. Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) can grow in its native habitat in the southeastern United States. Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)  are widely distributed in the southern Gulf of Mexico from Virginia to Florida to Texas, growing along streams and as undergrowth trees in forests.

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Picture

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) info

Botanical Name	Osteospermum spp.
Common Names	African daisy, blue-eyed daisy, Cape daisy
Plant Type	Perennial
Mature Size	1–3 ft. tall, 1–2 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full
Soil Type	Moist, well-drained
Soil pH	Acidic
Bloom Time	Spring, summer, fall

 

Ecological habits of the Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Grows in an oval shape and blooms in April and May, with numerous red blossoms arranged in erect clusters (panicles) that are 4–8" long. Red buckeye tree (Aesculus Pavia) loses its leaves early, usually by late September. Red Buckeye Tree features lustrous dark green leaves made up of 5–7 leaftlets that droop handsomely. Its foliage unfurls earlier than most trees. Red Buckeye Tree yields fruit 1½–2" in diameter with a smooth or slightly pitted shell that encloses 1–3 dark brown seeds. Red Buckeye Tree can grow as a multi-trunked tree, a single trunked tree or a shrub, depending on pruning.  

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Distribution Area

Red buckeye ranges from Virginia to Florida, through eastern Texas and north to Illinois. It grows under the shade of taller trees in rich woodland areas. In Kentucky, red buckeye occurs in mesic (moist) to wet woods in the western lowland region (Mississippi Embankment or Coastal Plain).

How to grow and care for Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)

How to Grow Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)

• With Seeds

Horse-chestnut seeds resemble chestnuts, with glossy brown seeds contained in a shell that is first green and then brown. Fresh seeds are best and can be planted immediately after harvest, although properly stored, undried and refrigerated seeds will also grow.
Clean potting mixes, such as those made with equal portions of perlite and peat moss, help prevent disease and provide good drainage for seedling development. After covering the seeds with the potting mixture, water the pot until the water runs out of the drain. The pot needs bright light until the seedlings appear. Keep the potting mixture moist.
Horse chestnut seeds usually germinate within 21 days after sowing, and the survival rate after transplanting is about 90%. Once the seedlings have several sets of true leaves, check to make sure they are not bound by the roots.

• With Cuttings

The Red buckeye can also be grown from root cuttings. These are taken in the winter just prior to the onset of spring growth. Stem cuttings are another alternative propagation method. These require a very humid environment for success. As with seed propagation, the plants started by these methods will devote their energy in the first couple of growing seasons to the development of a strong root system. Little will be visible in the form of stems or leaves.

How to Care for Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)

• Light

This tree will thrive in full sun, with at least four to six hours of daily direct, unfiltered sunlight. It can also tolerate partial sun/shade. North American safflower horse chestnuts are prone to burns in the high temperature from July to August, especially the North American safflower horse chestnuts are more susceptible to burns during the nursery year. Timely shade can not only reduce burns, but also promote the growth of seedlings. In the seedling year, the shading net with 50% light transmittance should be used from mid to late May to early September, and the sun should be shaded from late June to late August in the second year. Through shading, the seedling height of the North American safflower horse chestnut in the first and second year of seedling raising was 20.4% and 16.0% higher than that of the unshaded horse chestnut.

• Soil

Tolerant to an array of soils, the red buckeye tree will grow in acidic soils. It can also tolerate alkaline and clay soils. The soil should always be kept moist and well-drained to promote optimal growth.

• Water

The red buckeye should be watered regularly to maintain wet or evenly moist soil. Be sure to water at least weekly. It can, however, tolerate occasional drought as well as occasional flooding.
Temperature and Humidity
The red buckeye will bloom in in late spring. As a deciduous tree, it will lose its leaves seasonally.

• Fertilizer

Buckeye trees respond well to a liquid fertilizer when its planted, or later when its seeds sprout. Be sure to maintain a monthly feeding schedule for the first two years, and then once the roots are well established you can use fertilizer once every six months. No fertilizer is needed once to tree is four or five years old.

• Pruning

No pruning needed but give shrubs some space—great for privacy hedge and property border. Ours are grown from seed collected from local plants.
Read more: How to grow and care for Red Buckeye trees

Uses of Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia)

Traditional Uses

Native Americans crushed buckeye seeds and roots and cast them into streams and ponds to stun fish for easy catching and carried the seeds for good luck. Native American Cherokee used the ground seeds for a variety of medicines.

Wildlife Value

magine flying up to 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico when you only weigh as much as a penny. That's the challenge facing the ruby throated hummingbird as it migrates every spring and fall to and from its homes in North and Central America. The trip takes 18 to 24 hours, and the tiny bird does it nonstop. Growing a red buckeye tree, with its bell-shaped flowers that bloom just as the hummingbirds arrive back up north, is a great way to help them refuel.

Landscape Use

The coarse, open structure and the light brown, flaky bark is quite attractive and offers great winter landscape interest. Branches arise from the typically straight trunk at a wide angle forming a durable structure. There are many, small-diameter branches with an occasional upright, aggressive one growing as large as the trunk. Main branches begin forming low on the trunk and remain there when grown in the full sun.
The tree is best used as a novelty patio tree or as part of a shrubbery border to add bright red color for several weeks in the spring and coarse texture during the rest of the year. Plant it in a medium- to largesized residential landscape as a very coarse accent. Extremely coarse in winter without leaves, Red Buckeye will attract attention with the bright brown or tan bark reflecting the rays of the sun. Lower branches can be removed to allow for clearance beneath the crown, but the tree looks its best planted in the open to allow branches to fully develop to the ground.

 

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Common Pests/Diseases

Buckeye seeds are very attractive to squirrels. If you're planting buckeyes from seeds, plant two seeds for every tree you hope to grow.
Don't worry too much about pests. Buckeyes are native trees and are virtually pest and disease free. However, they can be hit by a disease called leaf blotch. It doesn't kill the buckeye, but the leaves will look scorched and fall early.

Red Buckeye Tree (Aesculus Pavia) Companion Plants

If you are growing red buckeyes for wildlife habitat, The University of Georgia recommends growing the yellow form of coral honeysuckle called John Clayton or the yellow native azalea, Rhododendron austrinum, as a companion plant. Either is a wonderful combination for hummingbirds and bees.