Aesculus chinensis, commonly called Chinese horse chestnut or Chinese buckeye, is a rounded deciduous tree that typically grows to 30-40' (less frequently to 70') tall. It is native to forests, thickets, slopes, ravines and roadsides in northern China. Long-stalked, deciduous, palmate green leaves have serrate margins. Each leaf has 5-7 oblong-lanceolate to oblong-obovate leaflets (3-10" long) which are usually glabrous beneath except for tomentose veins. Erect and showy cylindrical terminal panicles (to 16" long) of showy white flowers bloom in mid spring (May to June). Flowers are followed by globose, spineless, rough-textured, dehiscent fruit capsules whose husks open at maturity in early fall to release 1 or 2 dark brown nuts (to 1" across). Each nut has a light tan scar. Nuts are poisonous.
Specific epithet means of China.