Hippocastanaceae

Aesculus
Billia
Handeliodendron The Hippocastanaceae is a small family, with the most widespread genus Aesculus (the horsechestnuts), which today is taken to include Pavia (the buckeyes). However, the American genus Billia and the Chinese genus Handeliodendron should also be members of the family. A feature of the family is the palmate compound leaves. The family is closely related to the large, mostly tropical family Sapindaceae, and these days it is common for both Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae to be included in the Sapindaceae s.l. Best evidence so far shows each of these two smaller families to be monophyletic (i.e. they are "good" groups) and to be basal to Sapindaceae. Inclusion (or not) is a matter of taxonomic opinion, rather than of hard fact.

External links

[http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/hippocas.htm Hippocastanaceae] in L.Watson and M.J.Dallwitz. 1992 onwards. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. @ delta-intkey.com. Category:Sapindales ja:トチノキ

Aesculus

Aesculus arguta: Texas Buckeye
Aesculus californica: California Buckeye
Aesculus chinensis: Chinese Horse-chestnut
Aesculus flava (A. octandra): Yellow Buckeye
Aesculus glabra: Ohio Buckeye
Aesculus hippocastanum: Common Horse-chestnut
Aesculus indica: Indian Horse-chestnut
Aesculus neglecta: Dwarf Buckeye
Aesculus parviflora: Bottlebrush Buckeye
Aesculus pavia: Red Buckeye
Aesculus sylvatica: Painted Buckeye
Aesculus turbinata: Japanese Horse-chestnut
Aesculus wilsonii: Wilson's Horse-chestnut The genus Aesculus comprises about 20-25 species of deciduous trees and shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere, with 7-10 species native to North America and 13-15 species native in Eurasia; there are also several natural hybrids. They have traditionally been treated in their own monogeneric family Hippocastanaceae, but genetic evidence shows that this family, along with the maples (formerly Aceraceae), are better included in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), as the differences between the three groups are small and of doubtful significance. The North American species are known as Buckeyes and the Eurasian species as Horse-chestnuts. The name Horse-chestnut, hyphenated here to avoid confusion with the true chestnuts (Castanea, Fagaceae), is also often given as 'Horse Chestnut' or 'Horsechestnut'. One species very popular in cultivation, the Common Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum is also often known as just 'Horse-chestnut'. The name buckeye derives from the resemblance of the seed to the brown eye of a buck (male deer), and horse-chestnut from the external resemblance of the seed to a chestnut, but being inedible ("only fit for horses" - though the seeds are also poisonous for horses). Aesculus are woody plants from 4 to 35 m tall (depending on species), and have stout shoots with resinous, often sticky, buds; opposite, palmately divided leaves, often very large (to 65 cm across in the Japanese Horse-chestnut Aesculus turbinata); and showy insect-pollinated flowers, with a single four- or five-lobed petal (actually four or five petals fused at the base). Flowering starts after 80-110 growing degree days. The fruit is a rich glossy brown to blackish-brown nut 2-5 cm diameter, usually globose with one nut in a green or brown husk, but sometimes two nuts together in one husk, in which case the nuts are flat on one side; the point of attachment of the nut in the husk shows as a large circular whitish scar. The husk has scattered soft spines in some species, spineless in others, and splits into three sections to release the nut. The most familiar member of the genus worldwide is the Common Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum, native to a small area of the Balkans in southeast Europe, but widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. The Yellow Buckeye Aesculus flava (syn. A. octandra) is also a valuable ornamental tree with yellow flowers, but is less widely planted. Among the smaller species, the Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora also makes a very interesting and unusual flowering shrub. Several other members of the genus are used as ornamentals, and several horticultural hybrids have also been developed, most notably the Red Horse-chestnut A. x carnea, a hybrid between A. hippocastanum and A. pavia. They are generally fairly problem-free, though a recently discovered leaf-mining moth Cameraria ohridella is currently causing major problems in much of Europe, causing premature leaf fall which looks very unattractive. The symptoms (brown blotches on the leaves) can be confused with damage caused by the leaf fungus Guignardia aesculi, which is also very common but usually less serious. Common Horse-chestnut is also used as a food plant by The Sycamore, another species of moth.

Uses

The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American tribes. Some animals, notably deer, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. Crushed buckeye nuts have also been used, thrown into lakes by poachers, to kill fish for easy capture. California Buckeyes Aesculus californica are known to cause poisoning of honeybees from toxic nectar (other locally native bee species not being affected). Other buckeye species are thought to have the same effect, but the toxins are diluted because the trees are not usually abundant enough in any one area. The wood is very pale whitish-brown, fairly soft and little-used. Uses include cheap furniture, boxes and firewood. In several European countries a new disease has been found in several species of Aesculus. For more information check [http://www.kastanjeziekte.wur.nl] (in Dutch). In Britain and Ireland the game of conkers remains a common childhood pastime. Image:AesculusChinensis.jpg|Chinese Horse-chestnut (Aesculus chinensis) young leaves in spring ... Image:AesculusChinensisLeaf.jpg|... and fully grown, in summer Image:Aesculus californica.jpg|California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) leaves Image:Paardekastanje wit uitgelopen knop.jpg|Aesculus hippocastaneum bud opening in spring Image:Horse Chestnut Tree.jpg|Common Horse-chestnut tree in winter Image:Kiev kashtan.jpg|Common Horse-chestnut tree

External links

- [http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/aesculus.html Aesculus glabra (Ohio Buckeye)] King's American Dispensatory
- [http://www.homeoint.org/books3/kentmm/aesc-hip.htm Aesculus hippocastanum (aesc-hip.)] "Kent's Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica" by Dr Robert Séror Category:Sapindales Category:Herbal & fungal drugs/medicines ja:トチノキ

Aceraceae

Acer L. - Maple
Dipteronia Oliver The Aceraceae (Maple family) comprises between 120-150 species of trees and shrubs. A common character is that the leaves are opposite. The most important genus is Acer, containing all but two of the species. The remaining two are in Dipteronia. As they are closely related to the Sapindaceae, several taxonomists (including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) group the Aceraceae and the Hippocastanaceae in that family. Current evidence shows that both Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae are monophyletic, so they could be kept separate from Sapindaceae; it is a matter of taxonomic style.

External links

- [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/aceracea.htm Aceraceae] in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants:] descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Category:Sapindales

Dongjiang

Dong River (Simplified Chinese: 东江, Traditional Chinese: 東江; Mandarin Pinyin: Dōng Jiāng; literally "East River") is the eastern tributary of Pearl River in southern China. The other two main tributaries of Pearl River are Xijiang River and Beijiang River. Hong Kong Government has purchased Dongjiang water from Guangdong since 1969. Over 60% of domestic water in Hong Kong is imported from Dongjiang.

Places along the river include

- Xingning

Hippocastanaceae

External links

Aesculus

Uses

External links

Aceraceae

External links

Dongjiang

Places along the river include

See also