Tree species: Horse chestnut (Aesculus Hippocastanum)
Location: Rathausstraße, corner of Orsbacher Straße in Laurensberg
Trunk circumference: 3.25 meters
Trunk height: 20 meters
Age: around 150 years old
This old and tall horse chestnut tree stands prominently on the corner of the street and protects a cross and a bench with its beautifully grown crown. With its dense foliage and thick trunk, it catches the eye from all three directions. Horse chestnuts belong to the soap tree family (Sapindacae) and bloom very strikingly in spring - yellow-white or red - on candle-like upright inflorescences. Before the inflorescences unfurl, the thick buds are covered with a very sticky layer of resin. The seeds of the horse chestnut are inedible and bitter for humans - in contrast to the sweet chestnut! Horse chestnut extracts are used to treat venous disorders, leg swelling etc.). Chestnuts are also fed to deer and roe deer. At present, almost all horse chestnuts in Europe are suffering in several ways: firstly from the chestnut leaf miner, which has been infesting more and more trees since around 1990. On the other hand, a bacterium (Pseudomonas) and a fungus (Phytophthora) have been added in recent years, which are affecting the trees.
