What is a Buckeye? (2024)

FAQs

Why is Ohio State's mascot a buckeye? ›

At the time, mascots were generally animals brought into the stadium or arena. A buck deer was contemplated, but, because bringing live animals as mascots was common at the time, this was rejected as impossible. Instead, the buckeye was selected, as the buckeye is the official state tree of Ohio.

Buckeyes. A small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree. According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer and carrying one brings good luck.

Poisonous Plant: All parts of the plant (leaves, bark, fruit) are highly toxic if ingested – because of the glycoside aesculin, the saponin aescin, and possibly alkaloids. Symptoms are muscle weakness and paralysis, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, paralysis, and stupor.

Buckeyes are distinctive trees, known for their early spring flowers and for the seeds that have inspired the name of this unique family of trees. The nut-like seeds are shiny and dark brown, with a light-colored spot that gives them the appearance of a deer's eye.

The buckeye was named the state tree of Ohio in 1953. The term buckeye has widely been used to describe residents of Ohio in general since the mid 1800s. It became popular when supporters of William Henry Harrison's successful presidential campaign carved souvenirs out of buckeye wood.

Native Americans once used buckeyes for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. These tribes would crush and knead the nuts into a salve for rashes and cuts. Today, some believe that buckeyes can relieve rheumatism and arthritis pain. Prescription opioids were first created exclusively for pain relief.

If you carry a buckeye in your pocket, it'll bring you good luck. Just like a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe or a four-leaf clover, the buckeye attracts good fortune. When you first put one in your pocket, in the fall, right after the nut-like seed has ripened, the buckeye is smooth and round.

The local indigenous people called him “Hetuck” which meant eye of the buck deer, or Big Buckeye. In 1953 this original term of endearment led to Ohio naming the Buckeye Tree as the state tree.

Buckeyes

The Ohio State University / Nickname

Do deer eat buckeyes? No, they don't. Buckeyes are poisonous to ruminants like cattle, so deer are not far behind. Buckeyes are also toxic to humans and many other animals, so you need to consider the drawbacks before choosing to cultivate them.

Can I plant a buckeye nut? ›

While Buckeye nuts can be planted directly in the soil outdoors in autumn, starting them indoors will prevent squirrels from digging up the nuts before they germinate next spring.

While gray squirrels and other animals do eat buckeyes, it is never a preferred food. In fact, both the seeds and tender young leaves of the plant are said to be poisonous to humans and livestock alike. Humans have long made use of the red buckeye.

The only buckeye native to California is Aesculus californica, or California buckeye. It is found growing below 4,000 feet throughout California and Southern Oregon.

Buckeye Burl (Aesculus californica) is an unusual species. Colors range from blue-black to golden whites with a nice mixture in between. Buckeye is a very difficult and expensive wood to mill.

Did you know Buckeyes can make and sell homemade Buckeyes? That's because those peanut butter and chocolate candies we call Buckeyes are a “cottage food” in Ohio. And our Cottage Food Law allows home-producers to make cottage foods with little agency oversight and without obtaining a food license.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye.

His supporters wore buckeye-shaped wooden tokens as a sign of their allegiance, and the nickname stuck. Some even believed that carrying a buckeye nut could bring good luck similar to a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover. The buckeye continued to resonate with Ohioans and became the state tree in 1953.

The design of the Ohio State Buckeye leaf was originally drawn in 1950 by alumnus and comic strip artist Milton Caniff and was intended to represent the buckeye tree as a symbol for strength and sturdiness of all Ohio State students.

The first instance of an OAC Beaver mascot was in the 1920s, when OAC students found Bevo the beaver caught in an eddy in Marys River. Bevo was then adopted as the University's mascot.