What is happening to horse chestnut trees?

Asked by: Scott Bush

The current disease in horse-chestnuts is caused by a bacterium called Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi. What damage does it do? To put it simply it clogs up the tree’s veins. The most obvious symptom is weeping wounds from the trunk of the tree and rust-coloured stains on the bark.

Why are there no conkers this year 2021?

But your game of conkers could be in trouble. That’s because the trees where they come from have been put on the official extinction list. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about half of horse chestnut trees face extinction because they’re being attacked by moths and disease.

Are horse chestnut trees in danger?

Ravaged by moths and disease, the horse chestnut is now classified as vulnerable to extinction. The tree is among more than 400 native European tree species assessed for their risk of extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). About half face disappearing from the natural landscape.

What happened to horse chestnut tree?

Iconic horse chestnut trees are under attack by a highly invasive leaf-mining moth, which has spread across much of the UK in the last 18 years.

Why are there few conkers this year?

Prematurely brown trees fail to produce conkers

The horse chestnut trees in Kew Gardens had no conkers this year as a result of disease and pest infestation. On Hampstead Heath, contamination of the water in the Ladies’ Pond is being blamed on leaf fall from horse chestnuts infected with leaf disease.

Are conkers ready yet 2021?

The 2021 conker season is due to start from 20th September, and will run for 4 weeks til mid October.

Do conkers really keep spiders away?

Conkers might not repel spiders

Unfortunately, there’s no proof this is true. The story goes that conkers contain a noxious chemical that repels spiders but no-one’s ever been able to scientifically prove it. There’s hearsay that if a spider gets close to a conker it will curl its legs up and die within one day.

Why are chestnut trees dying?

The tree’s demise started with something called ink disease in the early 1800s, which steadily killed chestnut in the southern portion of its range. The final blow happened at the turn of the 20th century when a disease called chestnut blight swept through Eastern forests.

Is horse chestnut invasive?

Horse chestnuts thrive in any soil, including alkaline, and are common in parks and gardens as an often spectacular specimen planting. The horse chestnut is considered invasive in some locales. Description: Deciduous tree reaching 50 to 80 feet in height with a round or oblong crown.

Are horse chestnut trees protected?

Conservation status

Listed as near threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

What month do conkers fall from trees?

When is conker season and when are conkers ready? Conkers ripen in autumn and fall to the ground during September and October. Look for them scattered around the base of horse chestnut trees.

Are conkers late this year?

Conker season is thought to start around August, and lasting through September and October, however, this can be affected by the climate and environmental factors.

What is the difference between a conker and a chestnut?

Both come in green shells, but horse chestnut cases have short, stumpy spikes all over. Inside, the conkers are round and glossy. Sweet chestnut cases have lots of fine spikes, giving them the appearance of small green hedgehogs. Each case contains two or three nuts and, unlike conkers, sweet chestnuts are edible.

What animal eats horse chestnuts?

There are some animals that can safely eat conkers. These include wild boars and deer. However, they are too toxic for humans to eat and will make people unwell. Strangely, despite the name horse chestnuts, they are also poisonous for horses.

What is the difference between a chestnut tree and a horse chestnut tree?

while sweet chestnut trees grow in woods, forests or orchards; Each horse chestnut leaf consists of several oval “leaflets”, which give the whole leaf a palm-shaped appearance, whereas sweet chestnut leaves are simple and elongated without leaflets.

Are horse chestnuts edible for dogs?

Horse chestnut trees drop hard, dark brown nuts, or conkers, from September onwards. Just like the tree’s bark, leaves and flowers, they can be fatal to dogs if ingested. Not only do they pose a choking risk due to their size and shape, they also contain a deadly toxin called Aesculin which is poisonous to pups.

Are horse chestnuts toxic to squirrels?

Squirrels have a primal instinct to gather nuts/ seeds, but they do not eat horse-chestnuts except in extreme circumstances. Horse chestnuts contain aesculin which causes upset stomachs and in large enough amounts is very dangerous.

What to do if you eat a horse chestnut?

If someone has unintentionally eaten part of a horse chestnut, you can help them by doing the following:

1. Gently wipe out their mouth.
2. Have them rinse with water and spit to remove remaining plant material from their mouth.
3. They can drink a few small sips of water to rinse the remaining material into their stomach.

Are horse chestnut leaves poisonous?

Toxic horse chestnuts cause serious gastrointestinal problems if consumed by humans. Are horse chestnuts poisonous to animals as well? They are. Cattle, horses, sheep, and chickens have been poisoned by eating poisonous conkers or even the young shoots and foliage of the trees.

Are horse chestnuts good for anything?

Horse chestnut is a tree native to parts of southeastern Europe. Its fruits contain seeds that resemble sweet chestnuts but have a bitter taste. Historically, horse chestnut seed extract was used for joint pain, bladder and gastrointestinal problems, fever, leg cramps, and other conditions.

Why is it called horse chestnut?

Etymology. The common name horse chestnut originates from the similarity of the leaves and fruits to sweet chestnuts, Castanea sativa (a tree in a different family, the Fagaceae), together with the alleged observation that the fruit or seeds could help panting or coughing horses.

How old is my horse chestnut tree?

More able children can work out the approximate age of the tree by measuring the girth and dividing the measurement by 2. A tree with a girth of 200cm would therefore be about 100 years old. Horse chestnuts and many of the smaller species grow more slowly.

How long does a horse chestnut tree live for?

to 300 years

This tree can live for up to 300 years. Its conkers sit inside a spiky green shell, before falling to the ground in autumn. Mature horse chestnut trees grow to a height of around 40m and can live for up to 300 years. The bark is smooth and pinky-grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age.

How long do chestnut trees live?

Most chestnut tree types only begin to produce nuts after they are three to 7 years old. Still, keep in mind that some chestnut tree types can live up to 800 years.

Do horse chestnuts flower every year?

The structure of the buds of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is described in an earlier OSMOSIS 17 (Spring 2000). Even at the bud stage, you can clearly see developing leaves and flowers and by mid-May to early June, horse chestnut trees are normally in full flower.
Exploring horse chestnut flowers.

Is a horse chestnut a good tree?

Because of its size, vertical growing shape and flowering characteristics, horse chestnuts make good shade trees in parks, college campuses, large lawn areas and open spaces. The flowers are by far the showiest part of this tree.

Can you cut down a horse chestnut tree?

The Horse Chestnut is not normally pruned but any badly placed branches should be cut back in the winter whilst the tree is dormant, this work is best done by a professional tree surgeon due to the size of most Horse Chestnut trees and the weight of branches.