Aesculus assamica
Aesculus assamica, the Assam horse-chestnut, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the genus Aesculus in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to warm temperate to subtropical areas of the eastern Himalayas from Sikkim through Bhutan and Assam to Arunachal Pradesh, and southwestern and southern China, Bangladesh, and mainland southeast Asia, except Cambodia and Peninsular Malaysia.
Description
It is a tree growing to tall, it is found in a variety of forest habitats from altitude. Like all Aesculus species, the leaves are palmately compound, with 5–9 short-stalked glossy green leaflets, 12-35 cm long and 5-18 cm broad. The leaves are deciduous, or evergreen in at least some areas. The flowers are produced in early spring from February to May, in slender conical clusters up to 45 cm long; the individual flowers are white to yellowish, with dark spots. The fruit is a leathery capsule 8–9 cm long by 4–5 cm wide containing a single brown seed 3–7 cm diameter with a large white hilum covering nearly half the seed.Uses
It is used in traditional medicine for treatment of inflammation and as an antifungal agent, and is being investigated for treatment of skin infections.It has been introduced into cultivation in Europe in Britain, and in France where a 15 year old specimen had reached 7.6 m tall.