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Pictured: Aesculus pavia — the species. This variety isn’t separately illustrated.
Hippocastanaceae family

Red Buckeye (var. flavescens) Aesculus pavia var. flavescens variety

Native

Red Buckeye (var. flavescens) is a perennial tree native to the lower 48 states.

More about this plant

Aesculus pavia, known as red buckeye or firecracker plant, is a species of deciduous flowering plant. The small tree or shrub is native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States, found from Illinois to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south. It is hardy far to the north of its native range, with successful cultivation poleward to Arboretum Mustila in Finland. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Hardiness
≥ zone 10 derived from its U.S. range
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
In the garden
Tree layer (canopy / understory) — Sits in the tree of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts ~32 caterpillar species

Aesculus supports ~32 caterpillar species.

Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a strong genus.

Recorded feeding on Aesculus in North America, including:

Acronicta americana · American Dagger Moth Acronicta hamamelis · Witch Hazel Dagger Acronicta hastulifera · Frosted Dagger Moth Actias luna · Luna Moth Amyelois transitella · Navel Orangeworm Antheraea polyphemus · Polyphemus Moth
+ 8 more species →
Archips argyrospila · Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips rileyana · Southern Ugly-Nest Caterpillar Moth Argyrotaenia franciscana · Orange Tortrix Cameraria aesculisella · leaf-blotch miner moth Celastrina argiolus · Holly Blue Choristoneura rosaceana · Oblique-Banded Leafroller Cingilia catenaria · Chain-Dotted Geometer Dasychira dorsipennata · Sharp-Lined Tussock
Keystone count (genus-level) from Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use records. Named species (a documented Nearctic sample, not exhaustive) from NHM HOSTS (CC0).
Species thumbnails re-hosted from iNaturalist — Creative Commons, credited per image (hover for credit). Click any species to see it on iNaturalist. Not exhaustive; many taxa have no openly-licensed photo yet.
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[06] Description — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
[07] Ecological value — Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[08] Conservation rank — NatureServe Explorer (CC BY)
[09] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[10] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[11] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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