Common Name: California Buckeye
Scientific Name: Aesculus californica
Date Collected: April 15th, 2011
Location: Collected at Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA near the waterfall.
Nativity. The California Buckeye is endemic to California and can be found growing from Central California to Los Angeles County.
Habitat: A.californica grows mainly in sandy and loamy soils along slopes, canyons, and waterways at an elevation below 4,000 feet.
Special Notes: The leaves, fruits, stems, bark, and seeds of the California Buckeye are poisonous to all living animals. Native Americans used the seeds as a food source after grinding it up and leaching the poison. They would also grind the seeds and drop them in ponds in order to stupefy or kill fish, making them easier to catch. This species is pollinated by honey bees, but they are poisoned in the process and can also poison the honey. There have been documented cases where people have been poisoned by eating honey made from the California Buckeye
Resources:
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/aescal/all.html#BOTANICAL
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AECA
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/aesculus-californica
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