Heavenly Horse chestnut

A favorite of mine we are learning in Woody ID. I'll always think of my nephew and bringing home that sharp pointy nut to ID together in the fall. This spring at BBG, standing and looking up under the trees you could almost think they were a tropical plant with their giant leaves and flowers. Here is Aesculus hippocastanum at Brooklyn Botanic on April 30, 2010 and a red-flowering hybrid, in all their glory and bloom.