Aesulus sylvatica Bartr.
Scientific Name
By: Carrie Jean Laird
cjlaird@arches.uga.edu
 
Synonymy:
Aesculus georgiana Sarg..
Aesculus sylvatica var. lanceolata Sarg.
Aesculus neglecta Lindl.

Common Name
Painted Buckeye, Dwarf Buckeye, Georgia Buckeye


 
Aesculus sylvatica. seeds Aesculus sylvatica. blooms Aesculus sylvatica. fruit
Photos courtesy of  University of Georgia Herbarium  

Higher Taxa

Identification:
 
    Tree (small) or Shrub with spreading crown and showy yellow flowers or reddish flowers.
    Height: 25' (7.6 m).
    Diameter: 8" (20 cm).
    Leaves: opposite; palmately compound; with slender leaf stalks 4-6" (10-15 cm) long.
                5-7 leaflets 4-6" (10-15 cm) long, 1.5-2.5" (4-6 cm) wide; narrowly
                elliptical or lance-shaped; finely saw-toothed; short-stalked. Yellow-green above
                green and often hairy beneath.
    Bark: Brown to gray; thin, scaly.
    Twigs: light reddish brown; stout, hairless.
    Flowers: 1-1.25" (2.5-3 cm) long; with 4 very unequal bright yellow or reddish petals and 6-7 shorter stamens;
                     in upright branched clusters 4-6" (10-15 cm) long; in spring.
    Fruit: 1-1.5" (2.5-4 cm) in diameter; a light brown, smooth capsule, usually splitting on
              3 lines; 1-3 large dark brown poisonous seeds; maturing in autumn.
Elbert L. Little described the species in The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees
 
Geography:
 

Aesculus flava
AREA STATUS REFERENCES
North America: 
Continental United States; Canada		 Yes Duncan & Duncan, 1988
Eastern North America: 
United States east of Mississippi; 
Ontario and eastern Canada		 Yes Duncan &Duncan, 1988
Southeastern United States: 
AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV		 Yes Duncan & Duncan, 1988
Southern Appalachian States: 
AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV		 Yes Duncan &Duncan, 1988
Coastal Plain Moderately Little, 1995; 
Jones & Coile, 1988
Piedmont Widespread Little, 1995 
Jones & Coile, 1988
Blue Ridge Mountains Widespread >
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Yes Little, 1995
Ridge and Valley Yes Jones & Coile, 1988
Cumberland Plateau Yes Jones & Coile, 1988
Central Arch ? -
Georgia Yes Jones & Coile, 1988 
Clarke County, Georgia Yes Jones & Coile, 1968 
Sams Farm Possibly, but not observed Carrie Laird, Pers. Ob.
Old Field No Carrie Laird, Pers. Ob.
Wetland No Carrie Laird, Pers. Ob.
Woods No Carrie Laird, Pers. Ob.
1-Hectare Plot No Carrie Laird, Pers. Ob.
 
 Natural History:
 
     The ornamental tree was discovered more than two centuries ago by William Bartram, an early American botanist. The Latin species name means "of the woods." The common name, painted buckeye, refers to the large showy flowers, which are variable in color, suggesting an artist's paint brush. (Little, 1995). 

How to Encounter:
 
    The shrub occurs in rich mixed deciduous woods from riverbottoms to mountaintops at up to 1900 m elevation.

References:
 
1. Brown, Claude L. & Katherine L. Kirkman. 1990. Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States. Timberland Press
        Portland, Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-748-3.

2. Duncan, Wilbur H. & Marion B. Duncan. 1988. Trees of the Southeast United States. University of Georgia
        Press. Athens, Ga. ISBN 0-8203-0954-0

3. Duncan, Wilbur H. & John T Kartesz. 1988. Vascular Flora of Georgia and Annotated Checklist.

4. Jones, S.B. & N.C. Coile. 1988. Distribution of the Vascular Flora of Georgia. Dept. of Botany, University
        of Georgia. Athens, GA.

5. Little, Elbert L. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. Knopf Press. New York
        N.Y. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.

6. Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles & C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. University of
        North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC. pp 284-285

7. Stafleu, F.A. & R.S. Cowan. 1981. Taxonomic Literature. v3. International Association for Plant Taxonomy.
         Boston, MA.