Horse Chestnut
The Horse Chestnut, with its shiny mahogany conkers, is a broadleaved deciduous tree, that can grow to a height of 40m, and may live for 300 years.
The bark is smooth and pink-grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age. Twigs are hairless and stout, and the buds are oval, dark red, shiny and sticky.
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Common Name:
Horse Chestnut
Scentific Name:
Aesculus hippocastanum
Tree No:
153
Location:
J6
The leaves comprise 5–7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem..
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Appearing in May, individual flowers have 4–5 fringed petals, which are white with a pink flush at the base.
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Once pollinated by insects, each flower develops into a glossy red-brown conker inside a spiky green husk, which fall in autumn.
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Horse chestnut is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It was first introduced to the UK from Turkey in the late 16th century and widely planted. Though rarely found in woodland, it is a common sight in parks, gardens, streets and on village greens.
The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen for insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of moths feed on its leaves. Deer and other mammals eat the conkers.
Its timber is of little value. Horse chestnut timber is a pale creamy-white to light brown, with a smooth, soft, fine texture. It’s not very strong and is therefore not used commercially, but its soft texture makes it ideal for carving.
The most famous use of horse chestnut is in the game of conkers. The first record of the game is from the Isle of Wight in 1848.
In both world wars the government asked children to collect conkers as a supply of starch in the manufacture of cordite, an important explosive in rifle bullets and artillery, but it was not a success.
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Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens,
43 Bocking End,
Braintree,
CM7 9AE.
Open 9:00 to 4:00pm – January, February.
Open 9:00 to 6:00pm – March.
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Open 9:00 to 8:00pm – May, June, July, August.
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Open 9:00 to 6:00pm – October.
Open 9:00 to 4:00pm – November December.
Note – The gates are locked at dusk.
Dusk is subject to seasonal variation, so closing times may not be exactly to the schedule, at the transitions.
No dogs allowed in the gardens.
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Phone: 01376 773066
Email: info@braintreeandbockinggardens.co.uk
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Email: tennis@braintreeandbockinggardens.co.uk
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Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens
We provide, maintain and preserve these unique and beautiful gardens as a community green space.
