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A wilsonii Rehd

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Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'A wilsonii' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/aesculus/aesculus-wilsonii/). Accessed 2026-06-12.

Family

  • Sapindaceae

Genus

Glossary

apex
(pl. apices) Tip. apical At the apex.
glabrous
Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
hilum
Scar on seed from its point of attachment in the ovary. Particularly prominent on the large seeds of Aesculus.
midrib
midveinCentral and principal vein in a leaf.
mucro
Short straight point. mucronate Bearing a mucro.
obtuse
Blunt.
ovoid
Egg-shaped solid.
section
(sect.) Subdivision of a genus.

References

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Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'A wilsonii' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/aesculus/aesculus-wilsonii/). Accessed 2026-06-12.

A wilsonii

A healthy young tree of Aesculus wilsonii planted near a pond at Herkenrode (WLD 11212 from Sichuan), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

This tree was introduced by Wilson from Szechwan and Hupeh, China, in 1908. It was first considered to be A. chinensis, to which indeed it is very closely allied. It may be distinguished from A. chinensis as follows: Leaflets longer stalked, not generally so tapered at the base, but rounded or even slightly heart-shaped there; more downy at first beneath (but in both species becoming glabrous); veins more numerous (up to twenty-two pairs), forming at their junction with the midrib a more obtuse angle than in A. chinensis. Flower-stalks more downy. Fruit ovoid to pear-shaped, with a mucro at the apex, and, according to Rehder, with the husk only half as thick as in A. chinensis. Seed larger, with the scar (hilum) covering about one-third (one-half in A. chinensis). A. wilsonii has a more southern distribution. Racemes up to 16 in. long.It flowered at Caerhays in June 1934. The tree there, raised from W. 200, is 48 ft high, with 48 ft diameter of spread (1966).These two chestnuts, with A. indica, belong to a distinct section of the genus (Calothyrsus), but A. indica has broader panicles with less crowded, more erect branches, larger flowers, and broader petals.

A wilsonii

Another nice specimen from a different introduction of Aesculus wilsonii, at Arboretum Wespelaar (WLD 10080, TH 879), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Grey bark on a young tree of Aesculus wilsonii. Herkenrode (WLD 11212), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

This introduction of Aesculus wilsonii made by Tom Hudson develops a very luxuriant and exotic foliage. Arboretum Wespelaar (WLD 10080, TH 879), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Foliage on a plant grown as Aesculus wilsonii in the Valley Gardens, Windsor Great Park, UK. 16 November 2022. Image John Anderson.

A wilsonii

Leaves of Aesculus wilsonii turn yellow and brown during autumn. Herkenrode (WLD 11212), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Close-up on the spectacular emerging purple-red new leaves of Aesculus wilsonii. La Roche Fauconnière (number 1210 from Vent Val nursery, Belgium), Cherbourg, France. 11 April 2022. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Fruits of Aesculus wilsonii are ovoid to pear-shaped, with a mucro at the apex, and, according to Rehder, with the husk only half as thick as in A. chinensis. Arboretum Wespelaar (WLD 10080, TH 879), Belgium. 16 October 2023. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Fruits of Aesculus wilsonii are ovoid to pear-shaped. Wespelaar arboretum (WLD 10080, Hudson 879), Belgium. 27 October 2021. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Aesculus wilsonii. Arboretum Wespelaar (WLD 10080, TH 879), Belgium. 26 October 2020. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

A wilsonii

Close-up on the brown capsule and unique dark brown seed of Aesculus wilsonii. Arboretum Wespelaar (WLD 10080, TH 879), Belgium. 16 October 2023. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

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