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Ohio Buckeye
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The tree species Aesculus glabra is commonly known as Ohio buckeye, American buckeye, or fetid buckeye. It derives its unflattering common name from the disagreeable odor generated from the flowers, crushed leaves, broken twigs, or bruised bark. It is native primarily to the Midwestern and lower Great Plains regions of the United States, extending southeast into the Nashville Basin. It is also found locally in the extreme southwest of Ontario, on Walpole Island in Lake St.
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Encyclopedia
The tree species Aesculus glabra is commonly known as Ohio buckeye, American buckeye, or fetid buckeye. It derives its unflattering common name from the disagreeable odor generated from the flowers, crushed leaves, broken twigs, or bruised bark. It is native primarily to the Midwestern and lower Great Plains regions of the United States, extending southeast into the Nashville Basin. It is also found locally in the extreme southwest of Ontario, on Walpole Island in Lake St. Clair, and in isolated populations in the South. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15-25 m tall.
The leaves are palmately compound with five (rarely seven) leaflets, 8-16 cm long and broad. The flowers are produced in panicles in spring, yellow to yellow-green, each flower 2-3 cm long with the stamens longer than the petals (unlike the related Yellow Buckeye, where the stamens are shorter than the petals). The fruit is a round or oblong spiny capsule 4-5 cm diameter, containing 1-3 nut-like seeds, 2-3 cm diameter, brown with a whitish basal scar.
The fruits contain tannic acid, and are poisonous for cattle, and possibly humans, although they are often eaten by squirrels and badgers. Native Americans would blanch them, extracting the tannic acid for use in leather.
Symbolism and uses
The Ohio buckeye is the state tree of Ohio and an original term of endearment for the pioneers on the Ohio frontier, with specific association with William Henry Harrison. Capt. Daniel Davis of the "Company of Ohio Associates", under Gen. Rufus Putnam, traversed the wilderness in the spring of 1788, and began the settlement of Ohio. Davis was said to be the second man ashore at Point Harmar, 7 April, 1788, and he declared later that he cut the first tree felled by a settler west of the Ohio River. That tree being a "buckeye", the incident gave the state the nickname which it still retains today. Subsequently, the word was used as the nickname of the Ohio State University sports teams and came to be applied to any graduate of the university.
The buckeye confection, made to resemble the tree's nut, is made by dipping a spoonful of peanut butter fudge in milk chocolate, leaving a circle of the peanut butter exposed. These are a popular treat in Ohio, especially during the Christmas and NCAA college football seasons.
In addition to using the tannic acid for leatherworking, Native Americans would roast and peel the nut, and mash the contents into a nutritional meal they called "Hetuck".
The buckeye nuts can also be dried, turning dark as they harden with exposure to the air, and strung onto necklaces. These are particularly popular among OSU fans.
Further reading
- Darbyshire, S. J., & Oldham, M. J. (1985). Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, on Walpole Island, Lambton County, Ontario. Canad. Field-Nat. 99: 370-372.
- Farrar, J.R. (1995). Ohio Buckeye. Trees in Canada. Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd. (Markham, Ontario) and the Canadian Forest Service (Ottawa). pg. 157.
External links
- Diagnostic photographs and documentation
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