Conkers! Aesculus hippocastanum (or Horse Chestnut to you and me)

Aesculus hippocastanum – It is Latin for Horse Chestnut, and its that time of year, again, the Estate is full of conkers.  With 70, yes, 70, Horse Chestnut Trees on site there are plenty of conkers to go around.

Many of the trees on our site are of a significant age, and mature horse chestnut trees can grow to a height of around 40m and can live for up to 300 years. 

We have one Horse Chestnut on site which arboriculturists have given an estimated age of 151 years to, which means incredibly, they believe it was planted circa 1868!  .. . so only middle-aged in its own tree terms.

However despite what you might think they are not native, according to the Woodland Trust the Horse Chestnut is native to the Balkan Peninsula, and it  was first introduced to the UK from Turkey in the late 16th century and widely planted. 

However many Horse Chestnut trees are succumbing to an infection caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae. The predominant symptom of the infection is a bleeding canker which are lesions that ooze or “bleed” rusty red or black gummy liquid from the trunks or branches of trees.  So for our gardening team this is now a case of carefully monitoring these trees, and in doing so, collecting a few shiny conkers too!

If you are collecting conkers – did you know. . . .

Conkers probably don’t scare away spiders. You might have heard that conkers contain spider repelling chemicals, or that, if they touch a conker they curl up and die. However, it seems that this is a myth, and there is no proof for this!

Conkers help to fade bruises. This fact is true! Conkers contain aescin, which is an anti-inflammatory and can help with bruises, sprains, and other minor ailments. In fact, you can buy medicine containing aescin for just this purpose.

Placing conkers in your pockets might help ward off moths. Conkers contain a chemical called triterpenoids, which moths hate. Simply pop a conker or two in the pockets of your clothes, and they’ll slowly release this chemical as they dry out.

Vikings used conkers as soap, and so can you! Conkers contain saponins, which are a little like soap. The Vikings, who were very well groomed (at least by the standards of people living in 800-1100 CE), used crushed up conkers like bars of soap.

+ Facts courtesy of Ribble Rivers Trust +