Indian Horse Chestnut

We are indebted to Henry Girling, who very kindly gave us seed from the clonal selection Sydney Pearce from his garden to grow on. A majestic tall tree well suited to parkland and large estates with a rounded habit. Aesculus indica, or Indian Horse Chestnut, bears pyramidal panicles of pink flushed flowers in summer. At the same time, its foliage is bronze when young, turning glossy and dark green before changing to orange and yellow in autumn.

It tolerates chalky soils well. There has been an increasing incidence of what was thought to be Phytophthora bleeding canker on Horse Chestnuts, especially in the South East and Midlands of England. Research is ongoing, but it is now believed the cause is a bacterium rather than a fungus. However, feedback from arborists suggests Aesculus indica is immune to the infection. However, it is not a common tree, so the jury is out on this one.

Its deeply cut leaves make it the prettiest of the Chestnut family, but annoyingly, it sometimes sets flowers on the terminal growing bud, making it difficult to grow straight. However, this is our problem to resolve, not yours!

Mature height: 17-22m

Common names

Indian Horse Chestnut

Height of tree

17-22m

Soil type

Well drained, Will tolerate most soil types

Shape

Rounded

Blossom Colour

Pink

Foliage Colour

Green

Information Flags

Good for bees

Location

Parkland, Avenue

Genus

Aesculus