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Growing up in central Ohio there are several things that you will see on a regular basis. One of

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Growing up in central Ohio there are several things that you will see on a regular basis. One of these items in a buckeye, it is the symbol of the university here in town. Around the holidays we make candies called buckeyes that are rolled balls of peanut butter dipped in chocolate. People refer to individuals from Ohio as buckeyes as well. What is a buckeye and where does it come from? The buckeye tree, which is also, known as Aesculus Glabra is the state tree of Ohio. Sometimes called a horse chestnut the buckeye tree is commonly found throughout the Midwest reaching from Michigan all the way down to isolated areas of Texas and Oklahoma. The area is classified as the temperate deciduous forest biome. A favorite of early Ohio settlers …show more content…

The trees aren’t going to be the tallest in the forest. They are usually 30-40 foot tall and 3-4 foot tall. The trees reach maturity with in 60-80 years of age and most often living upwards of 100 years of age. Like I previously mention the buckeye tree blooms early in the spring. Flowers are a white to yellow-greenish color and form in small clusters. Each flower will produce 1-2 seeds that will produce up to 5 nuts each inside the capsule. The capsule is a pale yellow color that is spiny. The tree is one of the earliest to lose their leaves in the fall turning to a nice yellow and red color before falling off. The buckeye tree has learned to adapt pretty well for survival. Its short stature means that it usually has taller trees in the forest towering over it. While it can grow in the shade it prefers to be in open clusters or along streambeds in moisture rich soil. It has also shown great resistance to fungus and disease. There are only six known diseases that affect the tree. One of the most common and most serious problems that the buckeye tree will experience is leaf scorch. Most likely caused by drought conditions or pollution. The buckeye tree is polygamo-monoecious. The flower clusters at the base of the branch are fertile and can reproduce while the flowers further up the branch are staminate. A few other interesting things that I learned when doing the research on the buckeye tree

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