I find it interesting that the California Buckeyes (Aesculus californica) look very different from month to month. The photos below show what it looked like in 3 different months. There are also links to the Mexican Buckeye at the bottom of this post, a very different kind of Buckeye. California Buckeye’s flowers are sweet-scented, white to pale pink. The fruit is a fig-shaped capsule containing a large, round, orange-brown seed. The seeds are poisonous. Trees are long lived, with an estimated lifespan between 250–280 years.
我發現加州七葉樹在不同月份有非常不一樣的樣子，很有趣。以下是3個不同月份的模樣。在這篇文章的底部也有墨西哥七葉樹的連結，非常不一樣的七葉樹。加州七葉樹花香甜，呈白色至淡粉色。 果實為無花果形蒴果，內含一顆大而圓的橙褐色種子。 種子有毒。樹木壽命長，估計壽命在 250 至 280 年之間。
Photo Date: Various Location: LA Arboretum
October of 2020
May of 2019
April of 2022
Notes 筆記
- California buckeye or California horse-chestnut is native to California and southwestern Oregon.
- ‘Aesculus’ is Linnaeus’ name for horse chestnuts. It is derived from the old Roman name for a different species, Quercus petraea. ‘Californica’ means ‘native to California’.
- It is a large deciduous shrub or small tree. Trees are long lived, with an estimated lifespan between 250–280 years.
- The flowers are sweet-scented, white to pale pink. The fruit is a fig-shaped capsule containing a large, round, orange-brown seed. The seeds are poisonous.
- It is used as an ornamental plant for its striking leaf buds, lime green foliage, fragrant white flowers, red-brown foliage in mid to late summer, and architectural silver branches through fall. The tree also acts as a soil binder, which prevents erosion in hilly regions.
- Native American tribes used the poisonous nuts and seeds to stupefy schools of fish in small streams to make them easier to catch. The bark, leaves, and fruits contain the neurotoxic glycoside aesculin, which causes hemolysis of red blood cells. Buckeye also makes a good fireboard for a bow drill or hand drill.
- Native groups occasionally used the plant as a food supply; after boiling and leaching the toxin out of the seeds or nut meats for several days, they could be ground into a flour or meal similar to that made from acorns. The nectar and pollen of the flowers is toxic to honeybees, so the trees should not be planted near apiaries. The flowers are a rich nectar source for many species of butterflies, and squirrels and chipmunks consume the seeds.
- 加州七葉樹原產於加州和俄勒岡州西南部。
- “七葉樹”是林奈對馬栗的稱呼。 它源自不同物種無梗花櫟的古羅馬名稱。“加利福尼亞”的意思是“原產於加利福尼亞”。
- 它是一種大的落葉灌木或小喬木。 樹木壽命長，估計壽命在 250 至 280 年之間。
- 花香甜，呈白色至淡粉色。 果實為無花果形蒴果，內含一顆大而圓的橙褐色種子。 種子有毒。
- 它被用作觀賞植物，因為它具有引人注目的葉芽、石灰綠的葉子、芬芳的白色花朵、中夏至夏末的紅棕色葉子，以及秋季的附加级銀枝。這棵樹還可以作為土壤粘合劑，防止丘陵地區的侵蝕。
- 美洲原住民部落使用有毒的堅果和種子使小溪中的魚群昏昏欲睡，使它們更容易捕獲。樹皮、葉子和果實含有神經毒性七葉苷，可導致紅細胞溶血。 七葉樹還可以為弓鑽或手鑽製作良好的防火板。
- 土著偶爾使用這種植物作為食物供應；將種子或堅果肉中的毒素煮沸並浸幾天后，它們可以磨成類似於用橡子製成的麵粉或粗粉。花的花蜜和花粉對蜜蜂有毒，因此不應在養蜂場附近種植樹木。這些花是許多蝴蝶種類的豐富花蜜來源，松鼠和花栗鼠會吃掉這些種子。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Aesculus californica
Plants Posts 植物的帖子