Łódź, Botanical Garden

It is a hybrid between the larger A. hippocastanum and the smaller A. pavia and probably originated in Europe in 1812; widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. Edible plant - seeds cooked, then dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel; unfortunately, they are rich in saponins and these toxins need to be removed before the seeds can be eaten! Useful plant - saponins in the seed are a soap substitute.