Buckeye, Sweet

This tree is the Sweet Buckeye, or Aesculus flava; a tree that thrives in the Appalachian Mountains. Another name for this tree is the Yellow Buckeye, due to its yellow leaves in the fall. This tree is known for its fruits contained in smooth, leathery capsules that gained their name for looking like a buck's eye. In 1784, George Washington found a reddish purple flower in West Virginia, collected its seeds, and planted them at Mount Vernon. Those trees turned out to be Sweet Buckeyes, which can live for up to 400 years and are still standing at Mount Vernon today. The bark of this tree is light tan with spongy plates and its often smoother than that of other buckeyes. The leaves can reach up to a foot in length with five leaflets possessing finely toothed margins.