California Buckeyes

Aesculus californica, commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a small tree native to California and southern Oregon. You will usually see their branches coated with mosses and lichens. Their nuts produce a toxin which is poisonous to bees and humans. Native Americans often used the poisonous nuts and seeds to stupefy fish in small streams to make them easier to catch. In hard times, they could also be used as a food source and ground into meal after boiling and leeching the toxin our of the nut meats for several days. The stand you see here has a deep root structure and helps prevent soil erosion on this steep hillside.