What nut did I find? [closed]
![What nut did I find? [closed] - Close-up of Squirrel Sitting on Branch Eating Nut](/assets/images/what_nut_did_i_find_closed_0.jpeg "What nut did I find? [closed] - Close-up of Squirrel Sitting on Branch Eating Nut")
I ask this knowing that it's possibly borderline off-topic, but I don't see a Botany SE site where I could ask, so...
A few days ago I stumbled (literally) upon an odd little fruit that had fallen onto the sidewalk. It fascinated me because it had three large lobes and a hard, mottled outer texture. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I brought it home and promptly forgot about it for a couple days.
When I picked it up today, one lobe had softened, and with a little pressure I was able to pop it off. The lobe contained a smooth, dark-brown nut!
Upon examination this reminded me of a chestnut. I broke off another lobe and found a second pod:
I have no idea what these are; they appear very similar to chestnuts but are missing the pointed tip and spiny shell. I don't know what to make of them.
Does anybody know what these are? More to the point for this site, are they (safely) edible? I noticed a lot more had fallen nearby, and I'm not above gathering some if they're tasty.
Best Answer
That is a buckeye, fruit of Aesculus glabra, also known as the Ohio buckeye tree. The seeds (the "buckeye" part) look sort of like a horse chestnut, but the fruit is different.
Do not eat it!
The fruits contain tannic acid, and are poisonous to cattle, and humans, as is the foliage. (Wikipedia)
(You can, however, make buckeye candy: peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate.)
This is a buckeye still on the tree, as well as some leaves if you'd like to revisit the source to verify:
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How do you identify a nut?
Buckeyes and horse chestnuts belong to the same tree family and are unrelated to true chestnuts. They bear similarities in fruit, but horse chestnuts carry larger seeds. The nuts of both buckeyes and horse chestnuts appear shiny and attractive, yet both are highly poisonous and must never be eaten.What other nut looks like a chestnut?
One of the most common nuts to be mistaken for a seed is beech mast, produced by the beech tree. Prickly four lobed cases protect one or two triangular nuts which are an important food source for mice, voles, squirrels and birds.What seed is typically mistaken for a nut?
Macadamia nuts are the most expensive nuts in the world, at $25 per pound. The flowering macadamia trees originated in northeastern Australia and take 7 to 10 years to begin producing nuts. The nuts can only be harvested a few times a year.BEST TWINS WIN $1000 Challenge w/ The Norris Nuts
More answers regarding what nut did I find? [closed]
Answer 2
These are what we Brits would call Conkers! Only we use a close relative - the horse chestnut. The schoolyard game of Conkers involves drilling a hole, threading a string with a knot and taking it in turns to smash your opponent's conker. Surfice to say that there is very little use for them aside from the wartime production of acetone. Horse chestnut trees are so abundant here that it seems a shame a more useful tree couldn't have been planted.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Aaron J Hill, Marta Branco, Pixabay, NipananLifestyle.com