Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) state tree of OHIO 
No other state has its identity so closely linked to its state tree. Ohio is the “Buckeye State,” Ohio natives are called “Buckeyes,” and the mascot of Ohio State University is Brutus Buckeye, a character with a head shaped like an oversized buckeye seed. The name buckeye is in reference to the tree’s seeds. The seeds are large, and appear to be fashioned from stained and varnished wood. On the top they have a large round pale patch, giving the whole seed the look of an eyeball of a whitetail deer. Although the seeds are bulky and contain a lot of substance, they are not edible. The Ohio buckeye is a small- to medium-sized tree which has not found many industrial uses, but it has a distinctive appearance. The Ohio buckeye is common in the Great Lakes states and eastern prairie states. Buckeyes are related to the horse-chestnut, which has similar seeds.
Look for: shrub or small tree, in rare cases known to exceed 100 feet tall; leaves composed of five leaflets, 4 to 6 inches long, palmately arranged; flowers are yellow and grouped in an attractive inflorescence; fruits have lumpy to prickly husks surrounding a usually single, over one inch long, rounded seed, deep brown with a large pale-colored patch..
The Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is a native tree with flowers that provide nectar for hummingbirds. Other nectar trees include horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera).