AESCULUS (a name given by Pliny to a kind of oak having an edible fruit; derived from esca, nourishment). The Horse Chestnut. ORD. Sapindaceae. A genus of hardy showy trees, well adapted for lawns or parks, having a beautiful appearance when in flower. They will do well in any soil, but the more loamy the better. Increased by layers, put down in the spring, or by grafting or budding on the common horse chestnut. Seeds, where procurable, should be sown singly in rows in spring, where they may remain until they are of sufficient size to be permanently planted out. This genus is distinguished from Pavia, in having its capsules echinated, i.e., covered with prickles, like a hedgehog; but this character is not always consistent. AESCULUS carnea (flesh-coloured). Synonymous with AESCULUS rubicunda. AESCULUS glabra (smooth-leaved).* fl. greenish yellow; corolla of four spreading petals, with their claws about the length of the calyx; stamens longer than the corolla. June. l. with five leaflets, very smooth; foliage larger than the common species. h. 20ft. North America, 1821. SYNS. AESCULUS ohioensis, AESCULUS pallida. AESCULUS Hippocastanum (Common Horse-Chestnut). fl. white, tinged with red, on very handsome terminal racemes, which are produced in great profusion; petals five. April and May. l. with seven obovately-cuneated, acute, toothed leaflets. Asia, 1629. This, the common horse chestnut, is well known by the beautiful parabolic form in which it grows, and during the period of its flowering no tree possesses greater beauty. It has two or three unimportant varieties, differing in the variation of their leaves, and one also with double flowers. These are increased by grafting only. AESCULUS ohioensis (Ohio). A synonym of AESCULUS glabra. AESCULUS pallida (pale-flowered). A synonym of AESCULUS glabra. AESCULUS rubicunda (red-flowered).* fl. scarlet, in very fine terminal racemes; petals four, having the claws shorter than the calyx; stamens eight. June. l. with five to seven obovately-cuneated, acute, unequally serrated leaflets. h. 20ft. North America, 1820. This is a very distinct and beautiful tree when in flower, and does not attain so large a size as AESCULUS. Hippocastanum. SYN. AESCULUS carnea.