Aesculus turbinata - Japanese Horse Chestnut

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil ou mi-ombre

Humidité

Humidité moyenne.

Sol

Tous sols. Nécessite un sol drainant.

pH

Sol acide ou calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 6

Habitat originel

Mountains, especially in ravines, all over Japan[58]. In deciduous forests, especially in moist slopes along streams[275].

Origine géographique

E. Asia - China, Japan

Dangers connus

• The seed is rich in saponins [169].
• 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

• Young leaves cooked [177].
• Some caution is advised on this entry since the leaves are likely to contain toxic saponins (see notes above on toxicity) .
• Graines - cuites .
• It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel .
• The starch is extracted and eaten [177].
• The seed is quite large, about 25 - 30mm in diameter, and is easily harvested .
• Unfortunately it is also rich in saponins and these need to be removed before the seed can be eaten .
• See also the notes above on toxicity .
• 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].
• Most of the minerals etc would also have been leached out by this treatment [K].

Autres usages

• Saponins in the seed are 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].
• Wood - weak, nicely grained .
• Used for house fittings, domestic items etc [11].

Culture

• Prefers a deep loamy well-drained soil but is not too fussy [1, 11].
• The dormant plant is very cold-hardy, though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts .
• It prefers growing in a continental climate, doing best in eastern and south-eastern England [200].
• 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 .