[Illustration: SOUTHERN BUCKEYE]
Leaves digitate; calyx tubular, 5-lobed; petals 4-5, unequal; stamens
5-8, inserted on disk; capsules leathery, usually 3-celled; seeds large,
shining.
Southern Buckeye (_Aesculus discolor_) is a handsome shrub or small tree
with showy spike-like clusters of deep red or yellow flowers. The
yellow-flowered shrub formerly known as _Aesculus octandra_ is now
called variety _flavescens_. The finely-toothed leaves are a glossy dark
green above and whitish beneath. The red flowers have a red tubular
calyx and 4 red petals, and the yellow variety has all-yellow flowers.
Seldom more than 2 large brown seed develop in the 3-lobed leathery
capsule.
The seeds and young shoots of buckeyes are usually considered poisonous,
those of the horse chestnut (_Aesculus hippocastanum_) being especially
so. Soap may be obtained from the roots and a black dye from the wood.
Western Buckeye (_Aesculus arguta_) is a yellow-flowered buckeye with
leaves divided into 7-9 leaflets. It is found along streams in the
western part of the state north to Iowa and Missouri. The buckeyes bloom
in March or April. They shed their leaves quite early in the fall and
are conspicuous in the winter because of their large buds.