Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can

grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution. Prefers a deep loamy well-drained soil but is not too fussy tolerating poorer drier soils[11, 200]. Tolerates exposed positions and atmospheric pollution[200]. A very ornamental and fast-growing tree[1, 4], it succeeds in most areas of Britain but grows best in eastern and south-eastern England[200]. Trees are very hardy when dormant, but the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts. The flowers have a delicate honey-like perfume[245]. Trees are tolerant of drastic cutting back and can be severely lopped[200]. They are prone to suddenly losing old heavy branches[98]. The tree comes into bearing within 20 years from seed[98]. Most members of this genus transplant easily, even when fairly large[11].

Plant facts Common name: Horse chestnut Botanical name: Aesculus hippocastanum Zones: 3 to 8 Size: To 80 feet tall and 70 feet wide From: Areas of Europe Family: Hippocastanaceae(horsechestnut family)

Growing conditions Sun: Full sun Soil: Moist, but well-drained soil rich with organic matter is best. The trees tolerate a range of soil types from sand to a bit of clay. Avoid heavily compacted soils and heavy clays. Moisture: Water during times of drought to keep the trees looking healthy. The leaves turn brown if not given a bit of additional moisture during times of drought. Care

Mulch: A 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch over the soil around the tree will help conserve moisture, reduce competition from weeds or turf grass, and protect the tree's bark from damage from lawn mowers or string trimmers. Leave a 4-inch gap between the mulch and the tree's trunk. Pruning: Pruning is generally unnecessary. The best time for pruning, however, is early winter.

Fertilizer: In most soils, fertilizing is unnecessary. Use a balanced fertilizer in spring if necessary.

Propagation Seed: Gather seeds once they fall from the ground. Remove the spiny shells and sow the seeds immediately. Cuttings: Take hardwood cuttings in early winter.

Pests Anthracnose: If the leaves look scorched and spotted, the cause may be anthracnose. The spots may be gray, tan, or dark brown; dry or slimy. To deter the disease, prune off any infected branches, dipping your pruning tool in a bleach or alcohol solution between cuts. Prune some of the inner branches to keep good airflow in the tree's center. Canker: Forms dark water-soaked cankers on the bark and branches of the tree. The cankers can spread, becoming larger. To deter the disease, prune off any infected branches, dipping your pruning tool in a bleach or alcohol solution between cuts. Japanese Beetles: These beetles are darkly colored and chew holes in plant leaves. Handpick the beetles from the plants and drop the insects in a bucket of soapy water. You might also try spraying with a pesticide made from neem, a tropical tree. Apply a bacterium to your soil called Milky Spore. This bacterium attacks the grubs from the beetles, but can take a couple of years to control the beetles. Leaf spot: This disease appears summer or autumn in the form of yellowish or darker-colored spots, often made of concentric rings. To deter this disease, prune some of the inner branches to keep good airflow in the tree's center. Powdery mildew: Powdery mildew appears in mid- to late summer and looks like affected leaves have a grayish powdery covering on them. The leaves then drop off. To deter the disease, prune the plant to keep good air flow and avoid wetting the foliage in afternoons and evenings. Rust: Usually looks like leaf spotting that's followed by small masses of rusty-colored powder on the leaves. Infected leaves die by the end of the season. To deter it, avoid getting the foliage wet; make sure there's good air circulation around plants. Scale: Scale insects crawl up plant stems, find a permanent home, and sort of plant themselves on the plant. They appear as small, raised spots and are easy to overlook. To deter scales, try encouraging beneficial insects; apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Selections Aesculus hippocastanum Aureovariegata': Slow-growing cultivar with golden leaves. Colors better with some afternoon shade. Aesculus hippocastanum Baumannii': This selection is smaller than the species-only growing about 50 feet tall, has showier flowers, and is sterile, so it doesn't produce fruits.

Characteristics Bark is grey-brown, separating into scaly plates with age. Twigs are hairless, stout and curve upwards at the ends. Buds are oval, dark red, shiny and sticky in spring. Leaves are long-stalked and palmate, divided into 57 leaflets of 820cm long. Each leaflet is pointed at the tip, tapered at the base, toothed and hairless. Leaf stalks leave a scar on the twig which resembles an inverted horse shoe with nail holes. Flowers are grouped into large panicles. Individual flowers have four to five fringed petals, which are white with a pink flush at the base, stamens protrude and arch downwards. Horse chestnut trees are hermaphrodite. This means that they have perfect flowers with both sexes represented in one flower. However, horse chestnuts often have some male-only flowers. Fruits are 6cm, globular, green with prickly spines. Within are one to three seeds of deep, rich, glossy red-brown, 34cm across known as conkers. Horse chestnut is insect pollinated. Distribution The horse chestnut is native to the Balkan peninsula and was introduced to Britain in the 1600s. Horse chestnut is naturalised in the UK. Widely planted and self-sown, it is commonly found in parks, gardens, village greens and residential streets, and is often planted in avenues. Horse chestnut is not commonly found in woodland but it can form a small element of the canopy in National Vegetation Classification W12 Fagus sylvatica Mercurialis perennis (Beech Dogs mercury) woodland. Horse chestnut can be an important landscape element in wood pasture and parkland habitat where very large and veteran specimens survive. Human value Horse chestnut timber is a pale creamy white to light brown with a smooth, soft, fine texture. The timber is light in weight due to its rapid growth and is not very strong as a result. For this reason it is not used commercially. However, the softness of the wood makes it excellent for carving. An extract obtained from the seeds and bark contains an active compound aescin (saponin) which is used in herbal remedies for its anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. The horse chestnut is most valued as an amenity tree for its abundant, fragrant, candle-like flowers. Generations of children have enjoyed using the large seeds to play the competitive game of conkers.

Wildlife value The nectar-rich flowers of the horse chestnut are important for bees and other nectar-loving insects, and the Triangle moth has been found to feed on its leaves. The seeds are reportedly eaten by deer and other mammals. Horse chestnut comes into flower early in the year and has become an important species for the UK Spring Index. The Index is calculated from the dates of four different annual biological events: the first flowering of hawthorn; the first flowering of horse chestnut; the first recorded flight of an orangetip butterfly; and the first sighting of a swallow. The Index provides contextual information that shows how changes in climatic variables, particularly temperature, can lead to changes in the timing of biological events, and assists in monitoring climate change. Management Horse chestnut is a fast-growing species best suited to moist, well-drained soils. It is able to tolerate a wide range of conditions including dry sandy soils, wet clays and chalk but it is not tolerant of salt spray Seeds ripen in September and can be collected and planted straight away. Seeds are highly perishable and may not survive drying and freezing. Horse chestnut has been found to be susceptible to Phytophthora. Horse chestnut trees can be affected by bleeding canker which can seriously damage tree health and lead to death. A few cases of this may have been caused by Phytophthora; however, the majority of infections are caused by the bacteriaPseudomonas syringae pathovar aesculi. The horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) can infest trees and damage the foliage causing it to turn brown and fall early as shown, right. There is no evidence at present to suggest that infestation causes a decline in tree health, because most of the damage occurs very late in the growing season. Horse chestnuts may also suffer from Guignardia leaf blotch caused by the fungus Guignardia aesculi, and from horse chestnut scale apparent as circular white spots on trunks or branches caused by the insect Pulvinaria regalis. Plant the Seeds Step 1 Gather twice as many horse chestnut conkers than you think you will need. Each conker contains one seed so you will need to gather 8 conkers if you want 4 trees, because not all the seeds that you start will germinate. Only gather conkers that have fallen from trees. Conkers fall in September and October, depending on where you live. Step 2 Remove the seed from the conker by pulling one half of the spiny shell (conker) off (conkers open when they hit the ground) and popping the seed out. Seeds are very large and easy to handle, however, when first removed they may be slippery.

Step 3 Store the seeds overwinter by placing them in a plastic storage bag packed with sphagnum or peat moss. Keep the moss moist by misting periodically with water. Store in a cool room (approximately 40 degrees F) or in a refrigerator. Do not seal the bag; rather, allow it to remain slightly open or poke several holes in the plastic to allow some air flow. You will need to start the seeds in mid spring after all chances of frost have passed. Step 4 Sterilize as many 1-inch pots as you have seeds in a 1:10 bleach/water solution. Rinse thoroughly in warm water and allow them to air dry. Step 5 Make your own seed starting mix for horse chestnuts by mixing compost and potting soil together to make a 50/50 compost/soil mix. Moisten the compost/soil mix with water and fill the 1-inch pots to the top. Step 6 Push one seed into a pot filled with compost/soil mix until it is just covered. Continue with the other seeds, planting one seed per pot. Seeds will germinate in 4 to 10 days. Step 7 Place the pots outdoors in a spot that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. Bring the pots indoors if nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. Step 8 Keep the seeds moist but don't allow the soil to become soggy. Allow the top 1/2 inch of soil to dry out before watering again. Step 9 Transplant seedlings into a sheltered area of your garden, such as a spot where they have protection from the prevailing wind and receive afternoon shade. They should be at least 2 to 3 inches high to transplant successfully. Plant them at the same depth they were growing in the pots. Step 10 Give your seedlings 1 to 2 inches of water a week. Allow the top 1 inch of soil to dry slightly before watering. Do not allow the soil around the seedlings to become soggy as the seedlings will succumb to root rot if left in standing water. Step 11 Apply 1/2 to 1 inch of mulch around your seedling. Pull the mulch an inch away from the horse chestnut's trunk. Spread the mulch so it extends 3 to 4 inches from the trunk. Mulch keeps the soil evenly moist and helps control weeds. Transplanting the Saplings Step 1 Choose a spot in full sun or part shade (horse chestnuts need at 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight) with well drained soil. Horse chestnuts prefer slightly moist soil to excessively dry soil so they are the perfect trees for clay and clay loam soils. Step 2 Transplant your horse chestnut saplings to their final location when they reach 1 to 3 feet high (usually at the end of their first summer). Time the transplanting so it is 4 to 6 weeks before your

average first frost date (this gives the sapling time to settle in) or, if you will be transplanting in spring, you can move your sapling as soon as the soil can be worked. Step 3 Dig a hole just large enough to accommodate the root ball. Plant your horse chestnut sapling at the same depth it was growing in. Step 4 Give your horse chestnut sapling 1 to 2 inches of water per week during its first year. Step 5 Use 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the base of the sapling. Remember to pull the mulch 1 to 2 inches away from the base of the tree. Spread the mulch so it reaches the drip line (the imaginary line around trees that marks where the tips of the branches reach).

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aesculus+hippocastanum http://www.gardeningclub.com/gardening/articletype/articleview/articleid/700/horse-chestnut http://www.ehow.com/how_6233182_plant-horse-chestnut-trees-seed.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/homegrownprojects_tree.shtml http://www.rfs.org.uk/learning/horse-chestnut http://www.gardenguides.com/69195-grow-horse-chestnut-trees-seed.html

http://w110.bcn.cat/portal/site/MediAmbient/menuitem.0d4d06202ea41e13e9c5e9c5a2ef8a0c/ ?vgnextoid=4a5c6a17a64bc310VgnVCM1000001947900aRCRD&vgnextchannel=3cc37037aed1a21 0VgnVCM10000074fea8c0RCRD&vgnextfmt=formatDetall&lang=es_ES http://www.pestalert.org/espanol/viewNewsAlert.cfm?naid=56 http://rehab.com/for-patients/resource-center/library/health-library.aspx?chunkiid=125026 http://www.funat.com.co/intranet/funatcorp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16 0&Itemid=92 http://www.wnyurology.com/content.aspx?chunkiid=125026 http://www.quiminet.com/principal/resultados_busqueda.php?N=Casta%C3%B1o+de+indias+par a+preparaciones+farmacol%C3%B3gicas http://therapy.epnet.com/nat/GetContent.asp?siteid=EBSCO&chunkiid=125026 http://www.slideshare.net/rumbero2011/castao-de-indias

http://books.google.com.co/books?id=K8eI7ZeFpsC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=preparaciones+casta%C3%B1o+de+indias&source=bl&ots=6CA 0v9vO6A&sig=EsPjJ6tR96YuGYk3SUFQJSPGu64&hl=en&sa=X&ei=38n4UuTbINOHkQeu6YGQBA&ve d=0CDYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=preparaciones%20casta%C3%B1o%20de%20indias&f=false http://amatusalud.es/producto/aesculaforce-castano-de-indias-vogel http://www.ine.es/daco/daco42/clasificaciones/cnae09/notasex_cnae_09.pdf http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1130-01082008001100004 http://books.google.com.co/books?id=ZGLzAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA114&lpg=RA1PA114&dq=adulteraciones+casta%C3%B1o+de+indias&source=bl&ots=6JdoFxNb_1&sig=N Y16QSfuVEwAgih8CUSCUYIuDs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bMn4UrWcDdGtkAfuwIHADQ&ved=0CF4Q6AEwBw#v=onepage &q=adulteraciones%20casta%C3%B1o%20de%20indias&f=false http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/druginfo/natural/1055.html http://www.prochile.gob.cl/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files_mf/documento_05_10_12123504.pdf http://www.ehowenespanol.com/castanas-indias-repelente-aranas-info_201384/