While we were walking through the woods of East Texas, visiting one of the largest Beautyberry patches I know of, John pointed out several massive seed pods hanging from a 5 foot shrub with a handful of Fall leaves barely hanging on. They looked a bit pear-shaped, but with a thick brown textured skin. The pods were beginning to split, most of them in even thirds. This should have been my first clue as to their ID, but I didn’t catch it.
Each of the pods generally contained one or two layers of three or four large chestnut-like seeds. Honey toned, and covered again in a thick shell. The few elongated leaves remaining on the plant were ribbed but with smooth margins from what I could see. They too reminded me of chestnuts. We wondered to the edibility and identity of this plant. We collected many many seed pods. I did some digging, but I wasn’t any closer to figuring it out, so ever curious, I contacted one of my supremely knowledgeable professors for help. He immediately suggested Red Buckeye, and as soon as he said it, I saw the resemblance to Ungnadia speciosa, Mexican Buckeye. The creamy colored spot on the end of each seed, the thick skin that the pod was comprised of, the stature of the plant, its understory growth habit, and even the structure and appearance of the fading leaves.
Now, these two species aren’t even in the same family. Mexican Buckeye is in the Soapberry Family (Sapindaceae). But I wasn’t on the completely wrong track. Red Buckeye is in the Horse-Chestnut Family (Hippocastanaceae), hence it’s similar appearance to chestnut.
I read that Red Buckeye is indeed toxic to several species, the big starchy seeds once upon a time being used to stun fish in pools. No eating these tasty looking seeds (or plants)! I also learned that Red Buckeye has spikes (panicles) of vibrant red, trumpet shaped flowers in early Spring. Perfect timing for the return of our native hummingbirds. Black dyes can be obtained from the wood, and roots can yield soap, though I need to do more reading on these applications.
By late Summer, leaves have typically fallen from this cool understory shrub, leaving fleshy looking twigs reaching up to the sky. The area I was in is surrounded on three sides by a creek, with a mature canopy of Red Maple, Sweet Gum, and Ash. This little pocket creates a microclimate that insulates this area from the effects of the weather, allowing Beautyberries to retain firm ripe fruits well into late fall, and apparently, Red Buckeye to retain a few leaves well past end-of-summer so that people like me and John can poke through the woods and wonder at the bizarre plant growing there with seeds and leaves and cold.
We took these massive seeds, along with a decent haul of Beautyberries (for jelly making) home. In the cursory reading I had done on the way back, I learned that these tough seeds should be kept from drying out, and stored in a cool place (the fridge) for about three months. One of the sources I read from suggested sticking them in the fridge, then removing and planting the ones that begin to sprout. So, I diligently filled a 1 gallon zipper bag, put the general date (October), and added a moistened paper towel to make sure the seeds didn’t dry out. Now, as December comes to a close, I have baby Red Buckeyes awaking and pushing through their hard shells in a zipper bag in my fridge. As they make themselves known, I place them in 1 gallon pots with good rich soil, and put them outside to continue their growth. So far, I have 7 baby Red Buckeyes poking out from their shells and into rich nursery soil. Perhaps by Spring, I will have a few young plants available to others interested in integrating native gardens into their home ecosystems.
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