Horse-chestnut is a well-known tree commonly grown in parks which can grow up to 25m tall. The flowers are arranged in erect panicles, and are either white with pink or yellow spots, or pink.
The fruits, enclosed in prickly cases, are glossy brown nuts known as conkers, which are used in a children's game.
The large palmate leaves may be 50-60cm across. These can be attacked by caterpillars from the leaf miner moth, which cause the leaves to wither and turn brown, but do not do the tree any lasting damage. A more recent threat is Bleeding Canker, which infects the bark and kills the tree, and is spreading rapidly across Britain.