Scientific Name
Aesculus californica
Common Name
California buckeye

HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!

Characteristics

Family
Hippocastanaceae
Plant Description
Deciduous shrub with opposite, palmately divided leaves with 5 leaflets; flowers in a long, terminal cluster, white or pinkish, stamens longer than the 5 petals; fruit a smooth, leathery capsule with 1-3 large brown, shiny seeds each with a pale scar (the"buck's eye").
Origin
California.
Where Found
Landscape as cultivated woody shrub.
Mode
Ingestion.
Poisonous Part
Seeds and tea made from leaves and sprouts.
Symptoms
Muscular weakness and paralysis, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, paralysis, and stupor.
Toxic Principle
Glycoside esculin, saponin aescin, possibly alkaloids.
Severity
HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!

"Poisonous Plants of North Carolina," Dr. Alice B. Russell, Department of Horticultural Science; Dr. James W. Hardin, Botany; Dr. Larry Grand, Plant Pathology, and Dr. Angela Fraser, Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina State University. All Pictures Copyright @1997Alice B. Russell, James W. Hardin, Larry Grand. Computer programming Miguel A. Buendia; graphics Brad Capel.

Disclaimer: The list of poisonous plants on this web site does not necessarily include every poisonous plant that is known, or that might be found in an urban landscape or home. North Carolina State University does not advise eating any of the plants included in this web site. The information concerning edibility is taken from the literature, and the degree of reliability is unknown. We discourage the use of any of these plants for self medication. In cases of accidental exposure or ingestion, contact the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222.

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