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Buckeyes

>From my observations of the California buckeye (A. californica):

The leaves are one of the first deciduous leaves to appear, generally 
around March 1st in the Coast Ranges--or about eight weeks before the 
winter rainy season comes to an end.  The leaves burst forth from 
terminal buds, and are very bright light green for a few weeks, before 
turning a darker green.  Towards the end of April, the flower buds can be 
seen forming, and by mid-May the tree is in bloom, with large white 
flower spikes up to 9 inch (25cm) long decorating the tips of the 
branches.   The flowers are fragrant--I find the odor almost sickly 
sweet.  When cut, they don't last well in water, turning into a flaccid 
mess (these cut flowers were from buckeyes growing on the hillside behind 
a house I once lived in).

By late June and early July, with the heat of the summer, many of the 
buckeyes on drier soils start to lose their leaves.  The leaves turn a 
pale brown, and while some fall to the ground, many hang on the tree a 
long time, maybe a month or more, making whole hillsides seem like some 
odd blight has stricken; this is particularly noticeable in the Sierra 
foothills.  Trees on wetter soils can keep their leaves into late August 
or even September.  After the leaves drop, the gray smooth bark and 
spreading branch structure is very attractive.

Buckeyes definitely love water--they're found along streams, in the 
coastal fog belt, and on north-facing slopes.  They grow in many 
different plant communities; I've seen them on the edge of the redwoods 
in the Santa Cruz mountains, and on the very dry slopes along gray pines 
(Pinus sabiniana) in the lower Kern River Canyon east of Bakersfield.  
They grow as far south as Liebre Mountain in the Transverse Ranges near 
Gorman.  I don't recall seeing them in the coastal Santa Monica 
Mountains, where I grew up.  When there's sufficient water, the trees 
form thickets, with many criss-crossing thick horizontal branches.  
Alone, the tree makes a broad, rounded shape to 15 feet (5m) high, and 25 
feet (8m) across.  I would say the most constant plant associate is 
poison oak.  Buckeye is more tolerant of drought than some other 
water-loving trees, such as big-leafed maple and various alders, and 
often the buckeyes extend far up the slopes from stream beds.

Other items of note:
- I recall reading somewhere that their nectar is poisonous to European 
honeybees.
- I remember reading about Natives using the ground seed pods to stun 
fish, and that it's specifically illegal in California to do this now.
- There's a good example of a buckeye in the native plant section of 
Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
- Other SF Bay Area places where they're visible:  they're mixed in with 
coast live oaks on the hillside to the west of I-280 just before the Page 
Mill Road exit in Palo Alto.  There's also one peeking over the freeway 
sound wall on US 101 in San Mateo, just before the highway 92 
interchange.  That one has kept its leaves well into September, leading 
me to think it gets watered regularly.  It's also very close to San 
Francisco Bay, so it's probably a lot less water-stressed than others.

Dan McKean
San Jose, CA
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