Home Grown Fun

California Buckeye Seed – Fun Facts and Folklore

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The California Buckeye tree looks almost unnatural in the fall with it’s bare tree limbs and giant seed pods that resemble deer eyeballs!

The smooth, chestnut-colored nuts drop out of their shells and onto the ground.

Don’t eat them unless you know specific leaching techniques because they’re poisonous.

Three Fun Facts About California Buckeye Trees

1. Hemorrhoids are no fun, but it is fun sometimes to talk about them — admit it!  Native Americans had hemorrhoids!  To get rid of them, they would crush up the buckeye nuts and use the pieces as suppositories. I won’t be trying this at home anytime soon…

2. The flowers of the buckeye tree are poisonous to honey bees, so if you have lots of buckeyes on your property or plan to become a buckeye tree farmer, don’t become a bee keeper!

3. Having trouble catching fish? Get sneaky and mash up the poisonous buckeye nut just like Californian Indian tribes. Throw it all in your fish pond of choice, make the fish stupid and reel in the big ones!!!

Cartoon california plants
Poisonous buckeye nut makes museum goers stupid – they think it’s a real buck’s eyeball. Poor deer!

References: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center Plant Guide