Japanese Horse Chestnut (Aesculus turbinata)

Family: Hippocastanaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Bloom Color: Red, White. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Pyramidal, Rounded.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

rich in saponins and these need to be removed before the seed can be eaten. — Young leaves cooked.; Some caution is advised on this entry since the leaves are likely to contain toxic saponins (see notes above on toxicity).; It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel.; The starch is extracted and eaten.

Habitat & North American Range

Mountains, especially in ravines, all over Japan. In deciduous forests, especially in moist slopes along streams. (Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)