6. South of Steinhardt Conservatory

Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)

Photo: UConn Plant Database.

If you've ever seen the big brown eyes of a deer, it's not hard to guess how the trees of the Aesculus genus got their common name. Native Americans called the trees' nut hetuck, "eye-of-the-buck," and early settlers along the Ohio concurred. (Today Ohio even calls itself the Buckeye State.) The yellow buckeye grows up to 100 feet tall in the wild, and its nuts are favored by squirrels and other wildlife.

Notable Neighbors:

• 6A. Dawn redwood grove (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
• 6B. White willow (Salix alba 'Tristis')
• 6C. Yellow buckeye (Aesculus flava)

Inside the Conservatory:

• Akee Tree (Blighia sapida)
• Dragonsblood Tree (Pterocarpus officinalis)
• Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
• Honduras Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
• Mesquite Tree (Prosopis glandulosa)