Red Horse Chestnut trees are not as common as the Horse Chestnut in Exeter, but are much the same. The key difference is the colour of the flowers. Instead of being white they range from pink to red as there are several cultivars. They usually flower a bit later than European Horse Chestnut and is typically between May and June. However, they can flower in April if the weather has been suitable. Other than the flowers, the Red Horse Chestnut is much the same as the European Horse Chestnut. To avoid confusion, the Horse Chestnut and European Horse Chestnut are same thing.
Older Red Horse Chestnut trees grow to a height of around 30 - 40 metres but the lifespan is not very clear. If it's anything like the European Horse Chestnut then it will be up to 300 years. The bark is smooth and pinky grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age. The twigs are hairless and stout, the buds are oval, dark red, shiny and sticky. Below are some useful links:
Leaves of the Red Horse Chestnut
General view of the tree
The palmate leaves comprise of 5-7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem. The area of the 5-7 leaves can get as big a large dinner plate and offer great shade.
Close up of the bark, which is fairly smooth in younger trees but develops scaly plates with age
Flowers just beginning to bloom at the end of April
The flowers usually appear in May. Individual flowers have 4-5 fringed petals, which are pink or red depending on the cultivar. They are pollinated by insects in this country, but in America they are also pollinated by Humming birds.
Underside of leaves and flowers
Canopy of the Red Horse Chestnut
Once pollinated by insects (in the UK), each flower develops into a glossy red-brown conker inside a spiky green husk, which falls in autumn. The conkers (seeds) are surrounded by a spiky green /brown case. The distinctive large leaves have serrated leaflets and the twigs have large sticky red buds. They are fairly easy to identify all year around. Unlike the fruit of Sweet Chestnut which is edible, Red Horse Chestnut are not. The fruit is better known as the 'conker'.
Close up of the flowers
The young fruit is beginning to take shape
  • Red Horse chestnut is  is a cross between our common horse chestnut and the red buckeye from USA
  • The leaf stalks leave a scar on the twig when they fall, which resembles an inverted horse shoe with nail holes
  • The conkers used to be ground up and fed to horses to relieve them of coughs, and could be the origin of the tree's name
  •  The palmate leaves comprise 5-7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem
  • In May - individual flowers have 4-5 fringed petals, which are pink or red
  • The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by insects (in the UK that is)
  • Each flower develops into a glossy red-brown conker inside a spiky green husk, which falls in autumn
  • In winter the twigs have large sticky red buds
  •  It is rarely found in woodland, but is a common site in parks, gardens, streets and village greens
  • It has been in cultivation since the 1820s
  • The first record of the game 'Conkers' is from the Isle of Wight in 1848
  • The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly bees
  • Caterpillars of the triangle moth feed on its leaves, as well as the horse chestnut leaf miner moth
  • Deer and other mammals eat the conkers
  • The conkers have been used to include horse medicines, as additives in shampoos and as a starch substitute
  • Chemicals extracted from conkers can be used to treat strains and bruises
  • Conkers are actually mildly poisonous and contain a chemical known as aescin, which can induce vomiting and even paralysis
  • Propagation is from seed, an oddity for most hybrids
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
(unranked):Angiosperms
(unranked):Eudicots
(unranked):Rosids
Order:Sapindales
Family:Sapindaceae
Genus:Aesculus
Binomial name
Aesculus x carnea
If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about Red Horse Chestnut the better. Many thanks!