Both come in green shells, but horse chestnut cases have short, stumpy spikes all over. Inside, the conkers are round and glossy. Sweet chestnut cases have lots of fine spikes, giving them the appearance of small green hedgehogs. Each case contains two or three nuts and, unlike conkers, sweet chestnuts are edible.
What are conkers called in America?
In the US, many people refer to conkers as ‘buckeyes’ – which is the North American name for horse chestnuts, as they resemble an eye of buck or male deer (apparently!).
What tree do you get conkers from?
A tall, broad tree of woodlands, roadsides and parks, the introduced horse chestnut is familiar to many of us the ‘conker’ producing tree – its shiny, brown seeds appearing in their spiny cases in autumn.
Can you grow a chestnut tree from a conker?
Growing Horse Chestnut Seeds or Conkers
The horse chestnut can also be grown from seeds or conkers. The spiny seedpods drop from the tree in fall when ripened and crack open to reveal the horse chestnut seeds inside. Horse chestnut seeds should be planted as soon as possible. Do not allow them to dry out.
Are chestnuts and conkers the same? – Related Questions
Why are horse chestnuts not edible?
Sweet chestnuts are edible, but horse chestnuts are poisonous. If eaten, they can cause digestive problems such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and throat irritation. More than one in 10 cases of poisonous plants being mistaken for edible plants involve horse and sweet chestnuts.
Can I plant a chestnut tree in my yard?
Chestnuts need to be planted in a sunny spot in sandy, loamy, deep soil with good drainage. When planted in soil with the proper conditions, these trees tend to be very tough and drought tolerant once they become established.
Can you plant a conker to grow a tree?
Conkers are always a good seed for planting. Check their seeds do not have any holes in them – if they have, it means insect larvae will be inside eating! 2 Place some crocks at the base of a pot, then nearly fill it with soil, mixed with some compost.
What happens if you plant a conker?
The conker nuts will germinate and grow the next spring after you plant them.
Can you start a chestnut tree from a chestnut?
Direct seeding is the easiest way to do chestnut tree propagation. Up to 90% of the seeds germinate. Use healthy nuts from a mature tree over 10 years old and plant them in the spring in a sunny site with well-draining soil.
How do you germinate a horse chestnut tree?
If you wish to attempt propagation, gather the horse chestnuts when they fall from the tree in early autumn. Chill them over winter in the fridge or in an unheated area, such as an outdoor building. These seeds need at least two to three months of chilling time, called cold stratification, to germinate.
Can conkers be used for anything?
2. Conkers can help fix sprains and bruises. It is said that horse chestnut is so named because its seeds were once used to treat ailments in horses. It turns out that aescin, which can be extracted from conkers, has anti-inflammatory effects and is an effective remedy for sprains and bruises for humans.
What is the difference between horse chestnut and sweet chestnut?
each horse chestnut leaf consists of several oval “leaflets”, which give the whole leaf a palm-shaped appearance, whereas sweet chestnut leaves are simple and elongated without leaflets.
How long does it take for a horse chestnut tree to grow fully?
Horse Chestnut trees grow very rapidly. Growth in young trees may be between 60-80cm from mid-April to late July. Growth rates slow with age and many trees at around 150 years old shed branches and begin to break up.
Do horse chestnuts grow in the USA?
Description: The horse chestnut is a shade and ornamental tree with an upright elliptical shape. It is native to southeast Europe (particularly the Pindus mountains mixed forests and the Balkan mixed forests of the Balkan peninsula), but it was introduced into other parts of Europe as well as North America.
What are horse chestnuts good for?
Today, horse chestnut seed extract is promoted for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI; poor blood flow in the veins of the legs, which may lead to leg pain, swelling, itchiness, and other symptoms), irritable bowel syndrome, male infertility, and other conditions.
Can you pull off a horses chestnut?
You don’t really have to trim them. But if you’re so inclined, you can trim them without causing the horse any pain. Don’t try to remove them entirely, and don’t trim any deeper than skin level or above. Just peel them off layer by layer with your hands or fingernails.
Who eats horse chestnuts?
There are some animals that can safely eat conkers. These include wild boars and deer. However, they are too toxic for humans to eat and will make people unwell. Strangely, despite the name horse chestnuts, they are also poisonous for horses.
What happens if a dog eats a horse chestnut?
Horse chestnut trees drop hard, dark brown nuts, or conkers, from September onwards. Just like the tree’s bark, leaves and flowers, they can be fatal to dogs if ingested. Not only do they pose a choking risk due to their size and shape, they also contain a deadly toxin called Aesculin which is poisonous to pups.
What is toxic about horse chestnut?
Horse chestnuts contain a toxin called saponin aesculin that makes all parts of these trees poisonous. This toxin isn’t absorbed very well, so it tends to produce mild to moderate symptoms when people eat horse chestnuts. The most common symptom is stomach irritation.
Can you eat conkers?
Conkers themselves are mildly toxic and can cause stomach upset. Conkers should not be confused with the rather similar looking edible chestnuts! There are many poisonous plants children may discover in the garden or out on walks, some are obvious but some unexpectedly dangerous.