Eastern US, Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas
Small clumping forming, rounded top.
Full sun, prefer moist, well-drained soil.
Flowers are ornamental. Nice small, native tree or large shrub.
Handsome, lustrous dark green. Opposite, palmately compound, 3 to 6 inch long, 5-7 oblong-obovate to narrow elliptic leaflets, irregularly and double serrate margin, acuminate apex and cuneate base. The leaf do not have appreciable fall color.
Terminal buds are imbricate and large, .33 to .5 inches long, brownish glabrous. Lateral buds are much smaller than terminals.
Gray-brown bark and olive-brown stems with raised light brown lenticles.
4 to 8 inch long, 1.5 to 3 inch wide pinnacle. Each flower 1.5 inch long with 4 to 5 petals. Flowers in April to May.
Smooth, light brown, globular seed capsules 1 to 2 inches in diameter encase 1-3 shiny seeds called buckeyes.
Seed, cold stratification recommended, cultiavars should be started from cuttings or grafted from seedlings.
'Atrosanguinea' - dark crimson flowers.
'Humilis' - low or prostrate shrub with red flowers in small panicles.
