Arnold Hybrid Buckeye Seeds

Arnold buckeye represents a natural seedling hybrid of yellow, red and Ohio buckeye discoverd in the Arnold Arboretum. Forms of this tree can be found world wide with natural hybrids occurring in buckeye plantings and even in the 'wild' as part of a larger population of natural crosses. Crosses like this are valuable in terms of cultivation and their use in real world applications. You don't always need a grafted tree.  Trees  from this hybrid seed are compact, columnar or pyramidal in shape. Most are single trunks with dense flowering with yellow flowers like the Yellow and Ohio buckeye. When I first found about this hybrid, I knew only of the varieties selected from it.  My goal from seed was to create a hybrid swarm type of population similar to the oaks I grow. I used only a few plants and selected the best of the population showing the most improved vigor.  All of the seedlings show very clean foliage with no leaf scorch. The trees tend to branch early from seed and flower prolifically even in the light shade of the walnuts I am growing them in. 

The spotted yellow and red flowers  flower in early spring and look like candles in the tree. The conkers or nuts are small and dark brown. They ripen early in September. 

This is a good tree for mixed plantings and could easily be used for windbreaks, urban trees under power lines, ornamental tree for your front lawn as well as locations where trees are difficult or impossible to establish. It is also easy to self seed. The plant has potential in a wide variety of locations. It is tap rooted. 

This hybrid has a medium growth and begins flowering in 4-8 years from seed when the trees are only 3-5 ft. tall. Further selections could easily be done using it as a curb lawn tree. It's compact nature and dense branching makes it ideal for confined locations.  A shade tolerant species, this tree can grow in the shade of walnuts very easily without little loss of vigor. 

Cultivars:  "Conker 1" and "Conker 2"  Selected seedlings with the most vigor, dense flowering and nut production.  Conker 1 has the highest nut production and is a multistemmed tree that shows the most vigor.  Conker 2 is the most timber like in growth with more yellow buckeye in it's background. Foliage stays on through the summer with no leaf spot.  Flowers are yellow with red spots and are similar with both selections. Conker 1 has a larger flower scape than others. Scionwood is avaialbe upon request with an order of seeds of this selection. 

Germinating the seeds:  Buckeyes have very perishable seeds so I store them immediately upon collection to prevent their decay. This seed listing is only put up after harvest and is limited in time how long they can be refrigerated. Plant the seeds immediately upon receipt. They usually root right away and then require a cold period to sprout the top. If you are trying to hold them in the refrigerator, it is vey difficult but it is possible. Use lightly damp peat moss and then switch out the peat moss every week or two to check for a very bad smell and slimy seeds. These are going bad quickly. The seeds can sprout in the fridge and it is possible to keep them sprouted that way till spring. It just involves more time to check on the seeds as they transform to seedling in front of you. If outplanting, plant the seeds 2 inches deep. One inch deep in pots with the seed covered is ideal.