Aesculus hippocastanum - Marronnier

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil ou mi-ombre

Vent

Tolère les vents forts

Humidité

Sol sec à moyen.

Sol

Tous sols. Nécessite un sol drainant. Tolère les sols pauvres.

pH

Sol acide ou calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 3

Habitat originel

Mountain woods[50].

Origine géographique

Europe - N. Greece and Albania. Naturalized in Britain[17].

Dangers connus

• The seed is rich in saponins [10, 21, 65].
• Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm .
• Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans .
• They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water .
• Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them .
• However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins .
• Les saponines sont beaucoup plus toxique pour certains animaux, comme les poissons; des tribus de pêcheurs en ont traditionnellement mis de grandes quantitié dans les rivières et les lacs pour droguer ou tuer les poissons [K].

Comestibilité

• The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute [2, 7].
• Graines - cuites .
• It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a gruel [7, 46, 55, 61].
• The seed is quite large, about 3cm in diameter, and is easily harvested .
• It is usually produced in abundance in Britain .
• Unfortunately the seed is also rich in saponins, these must be removed before it can be used as a food and this process also removes many of the minerals and vitamins, leaving behind mainly starch .
• See also the notes above on toxicity .
• The seed contains up to 40% water, 8 - 11% protein and 8 - 26% toxic saponins [218].
• The following notes apply to A. californica, but are probably also relevant here:- .
• .
• The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days [213].

Usages médicinaux

• Horse chestnut is an astringent, anti-inflammatory herb that helps to tone the vein walls which, when slack or distended, may become varicose, haemorrhoidal or otherwise problematic [254].
• The plant also reduces fluid retention by increasing the permeability of the capillaries and allowing the re-absorption of excess fluid back into the circulatory system [254].
• This plant is potentially toxic if ingested and should not be used internally without professional supervision [254].
• Alterative, analgesic, haemostatic and vulnerary [165, 218].
• The bark is anti-inflammatory, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, narcotic, tonic and vasoconstrictive [4, 7, 222].
• It is harvested in the spring and dried for later use [4].
• The plant is taken in small doses internally for the treatment of a wide range of venous diseases, including hardening of the arteries, varicose veins, phlebitis, leg ulcers, haemorrhoids and frostbite [238, 254].
• It is also made into a lotion or gel for external application [254].
• A tea made from the bark is used in the treatment of malaria and dysentery, externally in the treatment of lupus and skin ulcers [4, 222].
• A tea made from the leaves is tonic and is used in the treatment of fevers and whooping cough [222, 240, 254].
• The pericarp is peripherally vasoconstrictive [7].
• The seeds are decongestant, expectorant and tonic [7, 21].
• They have been used in the treatment of rheumatism, neuralgia and haemorrhoids [4].
• They are said to be narcotic and that 10 grains of the nut are equal to 3 grains of opium [213].
• An oil extracted from the seeds has been used externally as a treatment for rheumatism [254].
• A compound of the powdered roots is analgesic and has been used to treat chest pains [257].
• The buds are used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Failure to learn by experience', 'Lack of observation in the lessons of life' and hence 'The need of repetition' [209].
• The flowers are used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Persistent unwanted thoughts' and 'Mental arguments and conversations' [209].

Autres usages

• Saponins in the seed are used as a soap substitute [169].
• The saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water .
• This water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc .
• Its main drawback is a lingering odour of horse chestnuts [K].
• The seed contains variable amounts of saponins, up to a maximum of 10% [240].
• A starch obtained from the seed is used in laundering [100].
• The bark and other parts of the plant contain tannin, but the quantities are not given [223].
• A yellow dye is obtained from the bark [4].
• The flowers contain the dyestuff quercetin [223].
• Wood - soft, light, not durable .
• Of little commercial value, it is used for furniture, boxes, charcoal [2, 11, 46, 61].

Culture

• 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].

Propagation

• Seed - best sown outdoors or in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe [11, 80].
• The seed germinates almost immediately and must be given protection from severe weather [130].
• The seed has a very limited viability and must not be allowed to dry out .
• Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours prior to sowing and even after this may still not be viable [80, 113].
• It is best to sow the seed with its 'scar' downwards [130].
• If sowing the seed in a cold frame, pot up the seedlings in early spring and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer .