Aesculus hippocastanum
Horse chestnut

- Family: Hippocastanaceae
- Origen: Eastern Mediterranean region
- Interesting fact: the seeds of this tree are used to extract medicinal and industrial substances

Deciduous tree that can reach over 30 metres in height.

It has opposite compound palmate leaves with 5 or 7 sessile leaflets, wide, with a serrated edge, measuring up to 25 x 10 centimetres each. They are dark green in colour on the upper surface and rusty brown on the underside.

The flowers are arranged in 12-to-30-centimetre erect clusters. They are hermaphrodites with 5 green sepals, 5 white petals, and a yellow spot at the base that later turns red, 7 stamen of varied sizes and an ovary with a curved style.

The fruit is a capsule measuring up to 6 centimetres in diameter, with thick walls with more or less large spikes, though not sharp. In early autumn, they open to release 1 to 3 seeds, very similar to chestnuts but more bitter.

Source: Rosalía de Castro Park Botanical Guide