h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Nora,

This is a good article - are you considering putting it up for Peer Review? If you added something maybe about its cousin the Sweet Chestnut, and the game of conkers perhaps, I think you might have the raw material for a definite entry into the Edited Guide. Of course, please take this on advisement. The Leaving Cert is probably more urgent in your thoughts at the moment!

Regards,

Woodpigeon

You guessed it!

I have been thinking of putting this up for review, but I'll probably wait until summer, when I can follow people's comments and respond in good time, instead of catching them a month or more later, like I am now. The additions you suggest sound good; also, I saw in the dictionary the other day that 'horse chestnut' can refer to other Aesculus species. I'd like to track down some information on that, and see if it's worth including in any detail.

Thanks for stopping by - I'm glad you like it!

Excellent piece which I enjoyed reading very much. Thought it had a good variety of info wirthout dwelling too long on any particular aspect. I too have always thought that the tree's name came from the shape of the scar left on the leaf petiole and had not heard of other meanings. So to satisfy my curiosity I checked Richard Mabey's Flora Britannica. He devotes 3 full pages to the tree! Anyhow as far as the name is concerned he in addition to the 'scar' theory suggests that the word 'Horse' is used whenever the fruit is of an inferior quality to that of a another plant of the same name... in this case the Sweet Chestnut..... and would therefore be fed to horses instead. Your reference to uses of horse chestnuts ties up well with this as they were soaked ang given to horses and pigs.

Incidently one other point he makes which was news to me was that the sticky buds which appear in Spring are also called 'cacky monkeys'! Perhaps it would be worth mentioning the buds ( without the money reference!) as another feature of the tree in Spring?


topher

Deer rather like them...
I surprised pigs dont, there you are, I have learned something..
Thanks