Aesculus glabra 'Herkenrode'

In 1991, Philippe de Spoelberch purchased an Aesculus glabra at the Arboretum Waasland for the collection of Wespelaar. It became a beautiful, low-branched compact tree with warm red-orange autumn colours in September and deserved its own name. In 2019, it was officially registered under the name Aesculus glabra 'Herkenrode'. The palmately compound leaves are 16 to 28cm long and up to 28cm broad. Yellow-green to yellow-white flowers appear around april, mid-may, in upright cylindrical panicles. The shiny mahogany-brown chestnuts are up to 3cm in size and are surrounded by an irregular spiny pink-beige capsule.  In Winter, the round, ramified crown stands out. The tree has never been pruned and stays compact, which makes it an interesting tree for gardens. After almost 30 years, it is 7m high and 7m wide and luckily does not suffer from the chestnut moth.