Tree · Hippocastanaceae

Ohio buckeye

Aesculus glabra · includes its varieties and subspecies

Ohio buckeye is recorded as native to 22 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 596 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Ohio buckeye at a glance

Native in: 596 counties, across 22 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a PLANTS minimum temperature −33°F
Mature height: 68 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Tolerates shade Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 4a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −33°F; zone 4a winters bottom out at −30°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 596 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 7 counties
Arkansas 31 counties
Georgia 1 county
Illinois 65 counties
Indiana 62 counties
Iowa 6 counties
Kansas 46 counties
Kentucky 78 counties
Michigan 10 counties
Minnesota 1 county
Mississippi 3 counties
Missouri 97 counties
Nebraska 3 counties
New Hampshire 1 county
New Jersey 3 counties
New York 9 counties
Ohio 80 counties
Oklahoma 19 counties
Pennsylvania 17 counties
Tennessee 32 counties
Texas 18 counties
West Virginia 7 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 68 ft
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth form: Single Stem
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Tolerant (tolerates shade)
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: Medium
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 30 to 60 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Medium and fine
pH range: 5 to 7.1
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 36 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −33°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 145
Fire tolerance: Low

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Mid Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: Yes
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: Severe
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Hippocastanaceae
PLANTS symbol: AEGL

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Aesculus glabra (PLANTS symbol AEGL), including 1 variety or subspecies folded into the species.
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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