Is this fruit edible, please?

The leaves are wrong for conkers or sweet chestnuts.

Is it an Ohio buckeye? Aesculus glabra, which is part of the horse chestnut family.

Sweet chestnuts have very prickly shells - almost impossible to pick up without gloves. Chestnuts from white 'candles' have pricklier shells than ones from pink 'candles', latter not really prickly.

Is it an Ohio buckeye? Aesculus glabra, which is part of the horse chestnut family.
That is what I think it is.

Where's oldgoat - is she ok?

It looks very like this tree although the leaves are slightly different. Seems to be a type of Chestnut though?
Buckeye
Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is usually a small to medium-size tree (20-40 feet tall) with palmately compound leaves with 5 leaflets.

oldgoat

Morning all.

I'm still in the land of the living, having resisted the urge to sample the mystery fruit.

I've consulted a local 'expert who assures me that it's a........

(pregnant pause to build up the tension)

red flowered horse chestnut. Not edible.

Thanks for all your interesting suggestions.

Off to do a bit more foraging now that the rain has stopped.

oldgoat seems to be alive and well and has had the mystery fruit identified (hurrah )

See her post above from this morning...

Oh, missed it!
It's been a busy day.

Thanks for the update.

Red flowered horse chestnut:
a hybrid of horsechestnut and red buckeye, so lots of us were on the right path (nearly).

Thank you maizie.

I stopped looking at this thread after I revealed the name of the fruit, but I'm touched by the concern of the grans who thought that maybe I'd had a little nibble of the fruit and suffered some dire consequence!

The tree is growing on some rough ground in what used to be an orchard, which is why I thought it's fruit might be edible.

Interestingly, when I cut it open to look at the seeds, the flesh oxidised almost immediately. Apparently it contains lots of tannin so probably tastes awful, but I didn't try, honest!.

It must look lovely in the spring, something to look forward too.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202008/medium-168175-download.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202008/medium-610332-indian-horse-chestnut-aesculus-indica-hippocastanaceae-himalayas-bh4t1t.jpg

I do believe it's an Indian Horse Chestnut... we have several in our local park.. ornamental tree.

Yes, I think you're right sheena. It's an Indian Horse Chestnut tree.
Disappointing to hear that it's very toxic- I had thought the fruit might make good chutney!

I think you ve solved it Sheena

It's been very entertaining reading all your suggestions. Thanks.

Just off to make a batch of blackberry and apple jelly then out in search of ripe elderberries for more jelly.

I love making preserves , I'm a credit to the WI....

As I said Sheena on the previous page