Spreading far wider than it is tall, bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is a bushy horse chestnut, carrying the same leaves and flowers as its larger cousin. Its conker-like fruits are edible only after long treatment, so grow it for looks — and give it room, since a mature plant can spread beyond 25 feet.
| Name | Aesculus parviflora |
|---|---|
| Family | Sapindaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 ½ feet (2 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun or part sun |
| Soil | ordinary, well drained |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Flowering | early summer to late summer |
Preferably in fall.
Follow our advice on planting shrubs.
Bottlebrush buckeye is one member of a family of shrubby and tree-sized Aesculus. Here are the ones most often sold, from suckering shrubs to full-size shade trees.
| Variety | Habit and size | Flowers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Rogers’ | Suckering shrub, 8–12 ft tall and wider still | White, panicles up to 30 in, midsummer to late summer | The longest, latest flower spikes |
| ‘Briotii’ red horse chestnut | Tree, 30–50 ft | Deep rose-red, late spring | Lawn and avenue specimen |
| ‘Baumannii’ | Tree, up to 60 ft | Double white, late spring, long-lasting | Streets and playgrounds, no fruit litter |
| ‘Erythroblastos’ | Small tree, 15–25 ft | Pale yellow, late spring | Shrimp-pink spring foliage |
It isn’t necessary to prune it.
To reduce the size of the shrub or to balance growth, operate in spring.
Bottlebrush buckeye is actually a type of bushy horse-chestnut tree that has more or less the same leaf and flower characteristics as its larger cousin.
It thus makes for easy growing and care and will fit just as well in a shrub bed as it will as a standalone.
If in a shrub bed, do provide for sufficient space because once mature it can grow wider across than 25 feet (8 meters)!
Unlike chestnut, bottlebrush buckeye fruits are only edible after special treatments: roasting, then slicing, and finally soaking in running water for days on end. It contains high levels of saponin, a poisonous compound that must be washed out from the dried, powdered or sliced material. Since this treatment also removes other nutrients, it isn’t much worth the effort.
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To avoid it growing too large, eliminate suckers and new shoots as they appear.
