California Buckeye Tree

Aesculus californica

Common in Northern California this tree is usually the first to have leaves and flowers in the spring and the first to lose its leaves in the late summer. These nuts are large and a result of large white flowers blooming in the spring. The nuts are slightly toxic and have been used by native tribes to stun fish for more productive fishing in streams and ponds. The Native Americans would grind up the nut into a pulp and put it in the water. It was highly effective and its effect on the fish didn't seem to pass on to the humans ingesting them.

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Enjoy!