Red buckeye
Aesculus pavia L.
Also called red buckeye.
Large shrub or small understory tree with upright clusters of red tubular flowers in early spring, timed with the return of ruby-throated hummingbirds. Thrives in the dappled shade of larger trees.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 3–6 m (10–20 ft) tall and 3–6 m (10–20 ft) wide; medium growth, about 6 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #3 install size.
Bloom
Red flowers, Mar–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red buckeye : Mar–May |
Design notes
- Often drops its leaves in late summer, especially in sun or drought — site it where early bareness is not a focal point.
- Seeds, leaves and bark are poisonous; avoid where children or pets may eat the nuts.
Regions
Native range: Southeastern U.S., from North Carolina to Florida and Texas, north in the Mississippi valley to Illinois.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
In the guides
Red buckeye comes up in this guide:
Related plants
Try Red buckeye in a plan
Opens your own copy of a finished sample garden in the planner with Red buckeye ready to place; the planner checks it against that garden’s zone, light and moisture.
Plan with Red buckeye
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.