Common name: Red Buckeye
Scientific name: Aesculus pavia L.
Family name: Hippocastanaceae – Horse-Chestnut family
Attracts: hummingbirds
Host plant to: Filament Bearer Moth (Nematocampa resistaria) and Saddled Prominent Moth (Heterocampa guttivitta)
Native range: southeastern North America
Habitat: in woods along the Atlantic Coastal Plain (east coast)
Height: 12 – 30 feet
Light needed: sun or partial shade
Hardiness zones: 6-9
Bloom period: late spring
Bloom color: red
Growing Tips: It likes ordinary or fertile soil and tolerates heat. It is often sold in containers in nurseries.
Description: This shrub or small tree has a open growing habit . The shrub leafs out very early in spring and is followed by the attractive plume of deep red flowers. The early flowers are a good nectar source for early arriving hummingbirds. It can be pruned to control size.
