Horse Chestnut - Maronie (English spelling) marronier French

Japanese: マロニエ - まろにえ（英語表記）marronier フランス語

A deciduous tall tree of the family Aesculaceae (APG classification: Sapindaceae). Native to the Balkan Peninsula, it is now planted all over the world. It grows to a height of about 25 meters. It resembles the Japanese horse chestnut, but is distinguished by the thorns on the surface of the fruit, and is also called the European horse chestnut. It has large palmate leaves that grow opposite each other. In May, it produces panicles at the ends of the branches, and many flowers that are larger than those of horse chestnuts and have a reddish white background. It is often used as a street tree to admire its flowers, and the tree-lined streets of Paris are particularly famous. Cultivars include those with double petals, variegated leaves, lobed leaves, pyramidal tree shapes, and weeping tree shapes. The red horse chestnut A. × carnea Hayne is a hybrid of a horse chestnut and a North American red horse chestnut A. pavia L., and was discovered in 1820.

[Hiroshi Ito September 17, 2020]

Cultural history

The name Umaguri, seen in the species name and English name, is said to come from the fact that it was used as a medicine for short-suffering horses in Persia before it was introduced to Europe, or that the leaf scars on the young branches are horseshoe shaped. There are other theories, but it is believed that the seeds were brought to Vienna in 1576 and spread throughout Europe.

[Hiroshi Yuasa September 17, 2020]

[References] | Horse Chestnut

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

トチノキ科（APG分類：ムクロジ科）の落葉高木。バルカン半島原産であるが、現在は世界中で植栽されている。高さは約25メートル。日本のトチノキに似ているが、果実の表面に刺(とげ)があるので区別され、セイヨウトチノキともよばれる。葉は大形の掌状葉で対生する。5月ころ、枝先に円錐(えんすい)花序をつけ、トチノキより大形で白地に赤みを帯びた花を多数開く。花を観賞する街路樹としてよく用いられパリの並木はとくに有名である。品種としては重弁花、斑(ふ)入り葉、切れ込み葉、ピラミッド樹形、枝垂(しだれ)樹形などがある。ベニバナトチノキA. × carnea Hayneは、マロニエと北アメリカ産のアカバナアメリカトチノキA. pavia L.の雑種で、1820年にみいだされた。

［伊藤浩司　2020年9月17日］