Aesculus hippocastanum

Aesculus hippocastanum, the horse chestnut, is a large deciduous, hermaphroditic flowering tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, also known as horse-chestnut, European horsechestnut, buckeye or conker tree, and unrelated to the sweet chestnut Castanea sativa despite the similar name. It is native to the Balkans, in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia, but has been planted so widely across temperate regions that it now grows as far afield as Edmonton in Canada and Harstad in Norway. The tree is cultivated chiefly for its showy spring flowers, and its seeds, known as conkers, are used in a traditional British and Irish children's game and were even collected for industrial purposes during both World Wars. It is assessed as Vulnerable in its native range.