In the past, when large Buckeye trees were more plentiful in the forests, they were considered valuable timber trees. The wood, which is white, fine-grained, and moderately soft, was widely used for turning and for making small items of woodenware, such as bowls, spoons, handles, ornaments and boxes. Because it is easy to carve and resists splitting, it was once an important material for the manufacture of artificial limbs, and it was used for flooring, the bodies of wooden vehicles, and for inexpensive furniture. The bark produces a yellow dye that has been used to tan leather, and the seeds were used as a source of oil for lamps, an insecticide, and bookbinder's paste. Six species are native to the United State.
All buckeyes have large palmately compound leaves.
In the spring they bear large cone-shaped clusters of flowers, which by midsummer give rise to greenish, leathery and often spiny fruits. It is often planted as a street tree and is native to Europe. The origin of this nickname, which dates from early pioneer days, is not completely known. Ohio may have become known as the Buckeye State simply because many large, economically important buckeye trees grew in the Ohio region at that time. According to the story, the nickname became known far and wide and was eventually associated with all the settlers of the region.