Buckeye

The buckeye is a deciduous shade tree that provides interest through the seasons. The canopy typically has a rounded or oval shape with a strong central leader and wide-open branching. The leaves are dark green, palmately compound and in some cultivars hold their deep color throughout the spring and summer. Showy yellow-green flowers arrive in the spring on spikes above the foliage. The name refers to the resemblance of the nutlike seed, which has a pale patch on a shiny red-brown surface, to the eye of a deer. Not all buckeye trees produce the typical seed.