'Fort McNair' Red Horsechesnut

(Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair')

Date Planted: October 2000

Family: Hippocastanaceae

Hardiness: Hardy in the Gorham, ME area; Zone 4-7

Mature Dimensions: 30-40 feet in height

Habit: Broad-rounded at maturity

Bark: Dark brown-gray; on older trees, becomes platy, exfoliates to show orange-brown inner bark

Buds: Imbricate, ovoid, ½-3/4 inches long, dark-reddish brown and coated with a sticky protective resin

Leaves: Palmately compound, and opposite; 5 leaflets (subsessile or short stalked) which are leathery, dark green, and doubly serrate. Petiole-2-4 inches long, leaf-4-7 inches long

Flowers: Borne on a 6-8 inch high and 3-4 inch wide panicle, pink with yellow throats, perfect

Fruit: Light brown, spiny, dehiscent 2-2 ½ inch diameter capsule containing 1 or 2 black-brown seeds; matures in October

Pests/Disease: Leaf blotch, leaf scorch, Japanese beetle

Reference Pages: Dirr M. 1988. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL.