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Gardening

Tree identification please

(15 Posts)
Lark123 Sun 15-May-22 14:51:11

Where I grew up, there was an enormous Horse Chestnut tree on the front lawn.

Every fall my friends and I would race home from school to run about collecting as many 'conkers' from the ground as we could!
Always mindful not to hurt our young fingers on the chestnut's prickly green pod cover.

I wonder today at it being so much fun; the friendly competition of it all I suppose.

Within a week, the once beautiful, shiny-smooth and swirly-patterned brown chestnuts lost their lustre, and with it their appeal.

Next fall, we did it all over again smile

JaneJudge Sun 15-May-22 14:19:00

we have a row of them in our nearest town and they have shed and covered the pavements that are now a shocking pink colour smile

Esmay Sun 15-May-22 14:17:08

I'd love one too .
But they grow to 130 '
They Bonsai well .
I'll have to content myself with a miniature tree.

yogagran Sun 15-May-22 13:20:57

Thanks everyone, seems it is a horse chestnut although, like many of you, I was thrown by the drooping flowers. It does look lovely and I would be tempted to plant one but I don't think I'd live long enough to see it flower!

Esmay Sun 15-May-22 13:01:45

It's a natural anti coagulant .Holland and Barrett sell it in a safe form .

Esmay Sun 15-May-22 12:57:02

Horse Chestmt as other Gransnetters suggest ,but after heavy rainfall .
The flowers are usually borne upright .
I think that they are incredibly beautiful .
Said to be called "horse "as it was used to be used for equine medicine ,but it is poisonous and should not be experimented with .

Esspee Sat 14-May-22 23:15:52

All the horsechestnuts I have seen have their flowers sitting upright like candles on a Christmas tree but I googled images and one nursery was advertising a Fort McNair Horse Chestnut tree with pendulous flowers so they do exist.

MaizieD Sat 14-May-22 23:10:11

When I did a search on Red Flowered Horse Chestnut images the US images showed something that looked more like this tree with floppier flowers and glossier leaves than our UK version.

Searching on 'uk trees with red flowers' didn't produce any likely looking alternatives.

I must say that the magnificent red flowered horse chestnut in the neighbouring garden of my childhood home had flowers that stood straight upright, no flopping...

Callistemon21 Sat 14-May-22 22:17:46

Camellias have single flowers and dark glossy leaves.

Horsechestnuts have flowers in a candelabra shape; I think this tree looks more like that. Are the leaves palmate?

Baggs Sat 14-May-22 21:28:17

Red flowered horse chestnut is what I thought too on first looking, but the hanging flowers did throw me a bit.

25Avalon Sat 14-May-22 21:10:12

I agree red horse chestnut tree.

MiniMoon Sat 14-May-22 19:20:17

Google lens says it's a red horse chestnut.
It threw me rather as the flowers on your photo are hanging down.

MrsKen33 Sat 14-May-22 19:05:56

Very large camellia?

grandMattie Sat 14-May-22 18:25:25

Red flowered horse chestnut

yogagran Sat 14-May-22 18:05:56

Can anyone identify this beautiful tree for me. I'm in the South East