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YELLOW BUCKEYE 



{Ai'scnlus oclaiulra Marsli.) 



■yUE yellow buckeye, or sweet buckeye, generally 

 known simply as buckeye, flourishes in the rich 

 mountain coves of the southern Appalachians, where 

 it attains a height of 90 feet and a diameter of 4 

 feet. It extends eastward and westward from the 

 mountains in rich bottoms and moist uplands, 

 chiefly, however, as a shrub. 



YELLOW BUCKEYE 



Nut. oiie-third natural size. Twig, three-quarters natural size. 



Leaf, one-quarter natural size. 



The bark is gray-brown and somewhat smooth but 

 breaks up into thin irregular scales. 



The leaves, unlike those of any other of our tree 

 .species except the other member of the buckeye 

 group, are divided into usually 5, but sometimes 

 6 or 7 oblong, pointed, sharply toothed leaflets 4 

 to 6 inches long, all set on the end of the leaf stems, 

 which are about as long as the leaflet. The leaves 

 usually fall very early in the autumn on account 

 of the attacks of a disease which causes large brown 

 spots. 



The flowers are yellowish (sometimes purplish), 

 in large clusters opening when the leaves are about 

 half grown. The fruit is smooth, roundish, rusty 

 brown, enclosing one or two rounded, chestnut- 

 brown, shiny seeds called buckeyes. The kernel 

 is "sweet" enough to be eaten readily by hogs and 

 cattle. 



The wood is eream-white, light aiul soft aiul de- 

 cays rapidly when exposed to the weather. It is 

 used for woodenware, artificial limbs, an-^ for paper 

 pulp. 



71 



