What is the buckeye plant?

The buckeye is a spring-flowering tree that stands as tall as it is wide, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. There are seven Buckeye species native to the United States, and all of them have nut-like seeds that are brown with a small white fleck.

The buckeye tree begins flowering very early in the spring. Its green leaves are produced and dropped much earlier than other trees in the landscape. Although the seeds of the buckeye are poisonous, early Native Americans boiled them to remove their poisonous properties and used them as a source of nutrients. Buckeye seeds are high in protein.