What are these?

[sbfluter]

I found these under a tree in the park. I live in Southern California so the tree could be almost anything at all since we can grow almost anything here. The tree was leafless with smooth, gray bark. Does anybody know what they are?

[Richard Katz]

They look to be buckeyes.

This is the state tree of Ohio which is also my home state.

I live in Northern California and we have plenty of Buckeye trees here.

[Innocent Bystander]

In the UK those are called Horse Chestnuts, or Conkers, and are used in the famous (or maybe not so famous) game of conkers. In the U.S. you call them Buckeyes.

You can eat them but they taste horrible. Try Sweet Chestnuts (Spanish Chestnuts) instead.

Those particular ones look a bit distorted. You should also find the husks, which enclose them, which should look like small bits of spiked leather armour.

[Innocent Bystander]

How to play Conkers.

[dubhlinn]

In the UK those are called Horse Chestnuts, or Conkers, and are used in the famous (or maybe not so famous) game of conkers. In the U.S. you call them Buckeyes.

You can eat them but they taste horrible. Try Sweet Chestnuts (Spanish Chestnuts) instead.

Those particular ones look a bit distorted. You should also find the husks, which enclose them, which should look like small bits of spiked leather armour.

That's what I was thinking but I did not know they were called Buckeyes over on the other side.

They do look a bit mangled though..

Slan,
D.

[The Weekenders]

Yep, they're buckeyes and are native to Calaforny. Probably way more up here in the North than in SoCal. You find them a lot on the lee sides of the hills in moist draws along with willows and live oaks.

The Indians use to eat them. First they leached the acids out of them (see below). Then they ground them up or roasted them. Here is a citation about it below. I had read that they would bury them in moist sand for up to a month to leach the acids out, but the citation states otherwise :

"NUTS The California Buckeye {Aesculus californica) was ground into meal
and prepared much like acorns. The large, pear-shaped buckeye fruit were
peeled, opened, soaked in water for a day, ground into meal, and finally leached
in a sand or basket filter. The exceedingly bitter buckeyes required
considerably more leaching than acorns. Some Indians baked the whole fruit
first, then sliced and soaked them for a few days in a running stream. "

[dwest]

Please be careful with them they are toxic if you eat them without proper preparation and they aren't very palatable anyway. As a Badger we like to stomp on Buckeyes but not this year I guess.

[Redwolf]

In the UK those are called Horse Chestnuts, or Conkers, and are used in the famous (or maybe not so famous) game of conkers. In the U.S. you call them Buckeyes.

You can eat them but they taste horrible. Try Sweet Chestnuts (Spanish Chestnuts) instead.

Those particular ones look a bit distorted. You should also find the husks, which enclose them, which should look like small bits of spiked leather armour.

Actually, in the Inland Pacific Northwest, where I grew up, we called them "horse chestnuts" as well. I think "buckeye" is more an East Coast/Midwest thing.

We used to have a huge horse chestnut tree in our back yard at home, and we kids loved to collect them. I don't know why, exactly...I guess just because they're kind of pretty.

Edited to add, I just read Weekender's post, and I think we're talking about different trees (albeit with similar looking fruit). I'm familiar with the California buckeye tree, and it looks nothing like the tree we called a "horse chestnut" in Spokane.

Redwolf

[crookedtune]

In New Jersey, circa 1963, we called them horse chestnuts. We somehow knew there was a game called 'conkers' that could be played with them, but no one knew the rules, so we we just used them to conk each other on the head.

[anniemcu]

Buckeyes are much darker in our area - a very dark red-brown, and are actually poisonous, I think. Otherwise they certainly appear to be chestnuts.

[dwest]

As weekenders pointed out the buckeyes are Aesculus. All buckeyes and horsechestnuts are Aesculus spp.and there are numerous species. Chestnuts are horses or Castanea spp. such as the one that used to be the dominant tree species in Eastern NA before the blight, Cryphonectria parasitica, got it. It is still found in parts of the midwest such as Wisconsin, as the prevailing winds have not allowed the movement of the blight westwards.

[Redwolf]

Actually, looking on the web, it seems that California Buckeyes are a variety of horse chestnut, and what I was told was a California Buckeye is something else entirely (though I'm not sure what)

Redwolf

[dwest]

Actually, looking on the web, it seems that California Buckeyes are a variety of horse chestnut, and what I was told was a California Buckeye is something else entirely (though I'm not sure what)

Redwolf

Hence the problems with using common names. But the California Buckeye/Horsechestnut is indeed Aesculus californica and an endemic species.

[The Weekenders]

Actually, looking on the web, it seems that California Buckeyes are a variety of horse chestnut, and what I was told was a California Buckeye is something else entirely (though I'm not sure what)

Redwolf

Hence the problems with using common names. But the California Buckeye/Horsechestnut is indeed Aesculus californica and an endemic species.

I think its possible we might have one of the imported varieties around as well, leading to the confusion. I know that one kind of buckeye has larger, lighter colored and more shrivelly leaves than the one that you see the most of. It could have come with the eastern settlers or something. I know I have been confused in the past between the two trees... We have plenty of non-native trees, even in remote locations because of the homesteaders of the past. I'd call my Dad now, because he will know, but it would seem kinda silly, so I'll ask him at xmas!

[Nanohedron]

Horse Chestnut.

Buckeye.