Horse chestnut
Find out more about the horse chestnut tree below.
horse chestnut
Scientific name: Aesculus hippocastanum
Family: Hippocastanaceae
What3Words location: feels.monks.title
Origin: non-native- introduced to UK from Turkey in late 16th century
Maximum height: 40 metres
Lives for: up to 300 years
Famous for their shiny mahogany seeds (conkers) encased in spiky green cases, horse chestnut trees were first introduced to the UK in the 16th century. Conkers used to be fed to horses as a remedy for coughs and when leaves fall, their stalks leave a scar on the twig in the shape of an inverted horseshoe with nail holes.