Pink Horse Chesnut

Hello All

Are pink horse chestnuts a different species or are they some sort of hybrid? Will conkers from a pink hc produce pink hc trees?

 

Hi Rob

Yep, they are the Indian Chestnut, and yes they should

 

There's a pink flowered horse chestnut tree in our village, but conkers never form on it.

 

Wonder if it needs a pollinator?

Just had a look, the seeds need to be planted quickly, they don't stay viable for long.

 

I understand some Red flowering varieties do not set fruits (conkers), such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_×_carnea, maybe some Pink varieties are the same?

 

Now THAT's the one I'd really like. Where can I get them?

(Had to remove your link, Zigs, it wouldn't let me post this with a link in it.)

 

You'll be ok after a few more posts

 

As I've always understood it the pink flowered horse chestnut is a hybrid, between the common horse chestnut and an american species, that often comes true from seed.
I've not tried it so its only what I read some years ago.

Its often reproduced by grafting though in order to maintain the true hybrid, you can usually see the graft point even on very old trees.

Personally, if you don't have much space, I would go for the american species, as its smaller and a good dark red.

Just to add there is a very nice yellow species, also. that only grows fairly small.
There is a couple growing near me.

 

A number of varieties and crosses offer up pink, or otherwise tinted, flowers and do not set seed. Some pinks do set seed. You'll have to find out what species/variety/hybrid the tree is before you'll know whether it will bare fruit or not.