Who can resist those little shiny brown nuggets of horticultural wonder? A buckeye or two in the hand is a bit like Linus’s blanket draped over his shoulder. There’s just something soothing and right with the world when you have a buckeye in your hand.
Most people know the tradition that bestows magical good luck properties on the venerable buckeye. It is said that keeping a buckeye rolling around in your pocket brings wealth, wisdom and the ability to ward off all manner of nasties from emerald ash borers to falling stock markets. Nope - keep a buckeye around and it's smooth sailing - especially if you actually know what a buckeye is!
Buckeye is actually a bit of a generic term that refers to a diverse genus of trees and shrubs that range from North America to Europe and Asia. They are easily recognized by their palmately compound leaves with, usually, 5-7 oblong leaflets. The next time you’re watching a college football game, scan the Ohio Buckeye’s helmets – covered with little round buckeye stickers depicting - not a notoriously nefarious and recently legalized fringe crop -but a buckeye leaf!
All the members of the genus Aesculus bear these signature leaves, terminal floral spikes (ranging from white to yellow, pink and red depending on species) and large, fleshy seeds, the buckeyes themselves.They range from spreading, understory shrubs (Aesculus parviflora – bottlebrush buckeye) to the once giant Appalachian native yellow buckeye (A. flava) that in early colonial times grew to produce trees with trunks more than 9 feet in diameter!
The best known of the group is the Ohio buckeye (A. glabra) that is found growing in the wild throughout the eastern part of North America, with its epicenter located in, you guessed it,the Buckeye State (that’s Ohio - for those of you who slept through junior high social studies!)
The Ohio buckeye forms a medium-sized tree up to about 30 feet or so with coarse branching, gray,flakybark and creamy yellow spring flowers. It is found in upland soils and is a fairly long-lived tree. The knock on Ohio buckeye and the reason they aren’t planted more often is because their leaves are susceptible to a bacterial scorch that causes premature defoliation in late summer. It’s not unusual to see a bare-stemmed Ohio buckeye as early as late August. Still, it is a tough and durable native tree that can withstand drought and poor soils.
Now about those lucky buckeyes ...The nut itself is contained in a leathery husk with fine spines spaced around the outside. When the seeds are ripe, those husks split and reveal the shiny brown seed within. From there, they go right in the pockets of half the population of the Midwest - never to make a tree!
But if growing a buckeye is your thing, it’s a mostly straightforward process. Ripe seeds should be sown immediately in a pot with moist, well-drained planting mix. They can be set someplace where they will get plenty of cold and moisture through the winter. When it warms up in spring, they’ll germinate in high percentages. Sounds easy,right?
The tough thing with germinating buckeyes is keeping the squirrels and chipmunks out of them. They will dig them up, eat them or replant them all over creation. Outsmarting the little furries is no small task, but here’s one option that does work. Drill a few drain holes in the bottom of a large bucket. Fill with bagged planting mix or compost. Sow your buckeyes about 1 inch deep. Then cover with a piece of hardware cloth with holes no more than about 1/4 inch. Set the bucket out in the garden or near your compost pile and put a large rock or cinder block on top. Then all you have to do is watch closely to make sure the germinating buckeye doesn’t grow through the wire mesh next spring.
Now as for the origins of the buckeye’s good luck . . . it just seems to have come out of thin air. Nobody’s really sure why or where it originated. Maybe The Ohio State University football team needed a boost sometime in the past -maybe it explains the Ohio electoral college thing.All I know is that there’s a buckeye in the pocket of every coat I own. Why mess with tradition?
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens is at 6220 Old La Grange Road, Crestwood, Ky.
FAQs
If you carry a buckeye in your pocket, it'll bring you good luck. Just like a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe or a four-leaf clover, the buckeye attracts good fortune. When you first put one in your pocket, in the fall, right after the nut-like seed has ripened, the buckeye is smooth and round.
What is the spiritual meaning of the buckeye? ›
Most people know the tradition that bestows magical good luck properties on the venerable buckeye. It is said that keeping a buckeye rolling around in your pocket brings wealth, wisdom and the ability to ward off all manner of nasties from emerald ash borers to falling stock markets.
Are buckeyes good luck or bad luck? ›
According to folklore, the buckeye or nuts that fall from the tree resemble the eye of a deer buck, and carrying one brings good luck.
Do buckeyes help with arthritis? ›
Medicinal Uses
Native Americans once used buckeyes for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. These tribes would crush and knead the nuts into a salve for rashes and cuts. Today, some believe that buckeyes can relieve rheumatism and arthritis pain.
What is the slang meaning for buckeye? ›
(US, slang) A native or resident of the American state of Ohio. synonym ▲ Synonym: Ohioan.
What is the story behind buckeye? ›
Ohio is known as the Buckeye State because buckeye trees were prevalent in the area when the territory was settled in the late 18th century. The buckeye gets its name from its distinctive nutlike seed that, when dried, appears a rich, dark brown color with a single lighter brown spot that resembles the eye of a deer.
What do Buckeyes signify? ›
A small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree. According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer and carrying one brings good luck.
What the heck is a buckeye? ›
The buckeye tree (aesculus glabra) is native to North America. In late summer and early fall, the trees bear fruit that contain a large nut. The nut gives the tree its name because it is dark brown with a light spot, resembling the shape and color of a deer's eye. The buckeye was named the state tree of Ohio in 1953.
Why carry a buckeye in your pocket? ›
They were carried as a folk remedy to ward off rheumatism, hemorrhoids and other assorted ailments. But mostly, it was considered a lucky charm. An old saying went, “You'll never find a dead man with a buckeye in his pocket.” Our native Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is possibly my favorite landscape plant.
What kind of seed brings you good luck? ›
According to legend, the buckeye is a powerful good luck charm. Let's take a closer look at this seed of good fortune and its story. The nut, or seed, of the buckeye tree (native to the Ohio area) remains on the tree in a spiny shell until it ripens in autumn, when it's released from the hull and falls to the ground.
While gray squirrels and other animals do eat buckeyes, it is never a preferred food. In fact, both the seeds and tender young leaves of the plant are said to be poisonous to humans and livestock alike. Humans have long made use of the red buckeye.
What did Native Americans use Buckeyes for? ›
Native California tribes, including the Pomo, Yokut, and Luiseño, cleverly used the ground-up powder of buckeye seeds to stupefy schools of fish in small streams, making them easier to catch. And the smooth, straight branches of the buckeye made it useful to native peoples as a bow drill and a fire drill.
Can humans eat buckeye nuts? ›
Warning: Ohio buckeye is highly toxic when taken internally.
Are Buckeyes good for hemorrhoids? ›
There are many different methods for processing and cooking buckeye seeds for food, depending upon the tribe. The seeds have medicinal properties and were cut into pieces, mixed with water, and made into suppositories for hemorrhoids by the Costanoan and Kawaiisu (Bocek, 1984; Zigmond, 1981).
What do buckeyes signify? ›
A small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree. According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer and carrying one brings good luck.
Why do people collect buckeyes? ›
The nuts themselves are poisonous so they cannot be eaten, though they did have many uses for Native Americans. Today, the buckeyes are mainly used as a good luck charm in someone's pocket or made into a necklace to cheer on a certain Ohio team affiliated with famous nut.
What is the myth about buckeye nuts? ›
Some even believed that carrying a buckeye nut could bring good luck similar to a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover. The buckeye continued to resonate with Ohioans and became the state tree in 1953.
