woodland shrub
California buckeye
Aesculus californica
Native to California
Through California Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada to Los Angeles and Kern counties
- Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry Moisture preference
- Zones 5–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Apr–Jun Flowering time
- Height 15–40 ft 4.6–12.2 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland shrub for full sun to part shade and lean, dry soil. At 15–40 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 5–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Butterflies Monarch
also Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Silver-spotted Skipper +44 more
Painted Lady, Gray Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, American Lady, Orange Sulphur, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Gray Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot, Anise Swallowtail, Lorquin's Admiral, California Tortoiseshell, Echo Azure, Umber Skipper, Pale Swallowtail, West Coast Lady, California Pipevine Swallowtail, Two-tailed Swallowtail, Boisduval's Blue, Great Purple Hairstreak, Northern Checkerspot, Coronis Fritillary, Rural Skipper, California Hairstreak, Great Basin Wood-Nymph, Gorgon Copper, Tailed Copper, Great Copper, Gold-hunter's Hairstreak, Lindsey's Skipper, Ox-eyed Satyr, Comstock's Fritillary, Unsilvered Fritillary, Argynnis adiaste adiaste, Celastrina ladon echo, Euphydryas chalcedona chalcedona, Incisalia irioides, Limenitis bredowii californica, Cyaniris neglecta, Eresia aveyrona mylitta, Lycaena gorgon, Thecla tetra, Strymon sylvinus, Strymon saepium, Thorybes pylades - Bees Yellow-faced Bumble Bee also Western Honey Bee, Black-tailed Bumble Bee, Ceratina punctigena
- Moths Alfalfa Looper
also Rocky Mountain Clearwing, Wild Forget-me-not Moth, Drasteria ochracea +1 more
Parabagrotis exsertistigma - Also visited by
- Hummingbirds: Anna's Hummingbird
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- American ladynectar
- Boisduval's bluenectar
- Common buckeyenectar
- Common wood-nymphnectar
- Eastern pine elfinnectar
- Eastern tiger swallowtailnectar
- Gray hairstreaknectar
- Hedgerow hairstreaknectar
- Monarch butterflynectar
- Mourning cloaknectar
- Orange sulphurnectar
- Painted ladynectar
- Pale swallowtailnectar
- Pipevine swallowtailnectar
- Red admiralnectar
- Silver-spotted skippernectar
- Summer azurenectar
- Western tiger swallowtailnectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- CaliforniaUnited States (1): CA. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Through California Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada to Los Angeles and Kern countiesThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5–10 · Canadian 4–9The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Poor, dry soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Drought tolerance
- MediumRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- 15–40 ft (4.6–12.2 m)Typical mature height.
- Spread
- ~33 ft (10 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 36+ in (91+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Apr–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- White, PinkThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.0 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.