Aesculus californica
Aesculus californica
Safety & Hazards
All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing the glycoside esculin, the saponin aescin, and possibly alkaloids. Ingestion can cause muscular weakness and paralysis, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, paralysis, and stupor[ 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. ]. Honeybees are the chief pollinators of this tree, but the pollen and nectar are toxic to them. Losses of adult honeybees and their larvae due to poisoning can be severe[ 1050 Title Fire Effects Information System Publication Author Website http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants ]. The seed is rich in saponins. 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 californica is most commonly a deciduous shrub 3 - 5 metres tall with spreading stems that form a broad, dense top. Sometimes it becomes more tree-like, growing up to 9 metres tall with a short bole that can sometimes reach 150cm in diameter and a large, round-headed top[ 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 was often used as food, medicine and a source of materials by the native N. Americans, but is little used nowadays. It is often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its floral display.