NATURE · HISTORICAL MARKER
Ohio Buckeye Tree
Portage, Ohio
· The State Tree of Ohio
Nature
12
The Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, grows in mesic woods and bottomlands and typically reaches 20 to 40 feet in both height and width. Hummingbirds are attracted to its flowers, and some wildlife species eat its seeds, though the raw seeds are poisonous to humans and most domestic livestock. Historically, its light, soft wood was used for pulpwood, woodenware, and the production of artificial limbs. Native Americans called the nut hetuck, meaning “buck eye,” because markings on the nut resembled the eye of a deer. Ohioans were called “Buckeyes” during the presidential election of 1840, when William Henry Harrison’s supporters wore buckeye necklaces and carved campaign souvenirs out of buckeye wood to illustrate for their fellow Ohioan. In 1953, the Ohio buckeye became the state tree of Ohio.
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Portage, Ohio
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