Tree ID Tip – Horse Chestnut

Only a few trees have parallel side buds (ignoring the ‘terminal bud’ at the end of each twig), which means they grow opposite each other on both sides of the twig. Common trees we see in Vancouver such as Maple, Ash, Dogwood and Horse Chestnut (shown here) all share this characteristic. The other trees have alternate branching patterns. This distinction makes winter identification of these trees a bit easier.

Horse Chestnut buds are big and sticky and have large leaf scars which look a bit like a horse-shoe, which maybe a reason for the name.

They are a common street tree in Vancouver and can be seen on driveTREEmap.