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Hippocastanaceae family

Red Horse-chestnut Aesculus ×carnea hybrid

Native

Red Horse-chestnut is a perennial tree native to the lower 48 states.

More about this plant

Aesculus × carnea, or red horse-chestnut, is a medium-sized tree, an artificial hybrid between Ae. hippocastanum and Ae. pavia. Its exact origin is uncertain, arising in Germany around 1818. It is a popular tree in large gardens and parks, widely planted throughout Europe. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Niinemets & Valladares 2006 (CC0) — Drought tolerance · Shade tolerance · Wet-soil tolerance
Hardiness
≥ zone 7 derived from its U.S. range
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Shade tolerance
Moderate
Wet-soil tolerance
Low waterlogging
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 (11) 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] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[09] Stress tolerance — Niinemets & Valladares 2006 (CC0)
[10] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[11] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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PlantKey’s data is open under CC BY-SA 4.0 — free to reuse and adapt, with attribution and the same licence. Photos keep their own per-image licence + credit (see Sources above).

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