This quick growing shrub/tree has appeared in my garden located on the Port Hils of Christchurch in the past couple of years. It is approx 8ft tall now and loses all it's leaves in winter. It has been flowering for a few weeks, it didn't last year. I have not seen anything like it nearby or elsewhere at all. We did rent the property out at one stage, so there is a possibility a tenant planted it (though unlikely).
les6,
Dec 14, 3:44am
looks like a horse chestnut to me?
maclad,
Dec 14, 3:56am
I thought so too but leaves too shiny I think.
spiritofgonzo,
Dec 14, 4:30am
Castinea sativa. Chestnut I think, not horse
ronash,
Dec 14, 5:41am
Thank you all. Mmm, yes, it does look like some variety of Chestnut tree after having googled it! Damn, it will have to be moved as it is right beside the neighbours sleep out! Cheers.
les6,
Dec 14, 7:54am
did younot see the flower gonzo?
spiritofgonzo,
Dec 14, 8:18am
sure did mate. The sweet chestnut is monoecious, meaning the male flowers and the female flowers appear on the same plant. This is what the flowers look like when in full flower.
spiritofgonzo,
Dec 14, 8:19am
chestnut (castinea) is much smaller than the horse chestnut (aesculus)
les6,
Dec 15, 6:48am
not on my sweet chestnut but they do on our horsechestnut?
piquant,
Dec 15, 9:14am
This is actually Aesculus Indica (Indian Horse Chestnut.) The leaves are shinier and also a lovely bronze colour when young. They also flower later than the othere Aesculus. They should be in full flower now.
piquant,
Dec 15, 10:21am
Jeez, gonzo - can you not get three feet in your mouth at the same time? The flowers of Castanea are nothing like those of Aesculus. Castanea sativa are more catkin like and the leaves are dark green, shiny and a good deal smaller than those pictured, also with toothed margins. Les6 was quite right to question.
spiritofgonzo,
Dec 15, 5:47pm
Oh right. So the street trees I've always been led to believe were castenea are actually a smaller aesculus. Woops. Happy to be proven wrong, I frequently am. ;)
piquant,
Dec 15, 9:47pm
Well, I don't know what street trees you are referring to - if you'd like to take a pic, I'd happily try and identify them for you. But no, Aesculus Indica is not a small tree and I would be quite surprised if they were used as such.(Street tree, that is) They produce several "conkers" on a stem, in a smooth casing as opposed to a "prickly" one and they do germinate rather readily. Far more suited to parks or paddocks or large country gardens. But they are very beautiful.
ronash,
Dec 19, 11:40pm
Thank you piquant, yes, Indian horse chestnut looks right. OMG it will be huge, won't be able to transplant it anywhere on the property :-(
les6,
Dec 21, 8:05am
its not a contest is it?
jbsouthland,
Dec 22, 4:53am
Plant in a half oak barrel . It will stay nice and small .We did this with an Oak stapling . Till we found a country home . now it's magnificent in a paddock . Neighbour has a chestnut tree behind us . love them .
piquant,
Dec 22, 7:46am
Well, now is not really the time to transplant. But I have hundreds of conkers off mine every year and I'm constantly pulling them out. They germinate really easily, just throw them down where you want them and in spring, watch them do their thing.
urbanrefugee54,
Jun 30, 10:08pm
I will give it a home if you want to dig it out. might be best to bag it until you see if it survives.
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