California Buckeye

Native to California, the California buckeye (Aesculus californica) can live 300 years.The pollen and nectar of the buckeye flowers are consumed by native bees and butterflies, but toxic and deadly to the European honeybee. During times of oak acorn scarcity, the Ohlone used buckeye seeds as a food source. They would crack open the seed, remove the shell, and then pound the seed into a flour-like consistency. Once the material was properly processed to remove poisons, the meal was cooked and eaten. Smashed nuts were also used for hemorrhoids and bark was used for toothaches. Additionally, the young shoots of this plant were sometimes used to create fire-making kits.