Sapindaceae FAMILY

Aesculus pavia

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is poisonous, containing the glycoside aesculin, the saponin aescin, and possibly alkaloids. The symptoms include muscle weakness and paralysis, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, paralysis, and stupor - death has been known to result[ 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ]. The seed is rich in saponins[ 169 Title A Weavers Garden Publication Author Buchanan. R. Publisher McGraw-Hill Contemporary Year 1987 ISBN 0934026289 Description Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes. ]. Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans. Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ].

Botanical Description

Aesculus pavia is usually a deciduous shrub growing up to 5 metres tall and producing suckers. Sometimes it becomes a tree with large, erect branches that form an open crown; rarely this tree can be up to 12 metres tall with a long bole up to 300cm in diameter[ 82 Title Manual of the Trees of N. America. Publication Author Sargent. C. S. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher Dover Publications Inc. New York. Year 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X Description Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of medicines, food and materials. A very ornamental shrub, suitble for growing in larger gardens, parks etc, where it can be used to make a hedge or screen.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeSouth-eastern N. America - Virginia to Florida, west to Louisiana

HabitatRich moist soils in deciduous woods, on the sides of streams and swamp margins[ 149 Title Trees of Central Texas. Publication Author Vines. R. A. Publisher University of Texas Press Year 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3 Description A good concise guide, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas. , 192 Title Narcotic Plants Publication Author Emboden. W. Publisher Studio Vista Year 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8 Description A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics. , 229 Title The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Publication Author Elias. T. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Year 1980 ISBN 0442238622 Description A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions. ].