Poló

California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)

  • Poló tends to leaf out in early spring with creamy white flower spikes.
  • Poló is a traditional food source. The fruit is toxic, but can be made into a mush or flour following a lengthy leaching process to remove the toxins.
  • Poló is a great firestarter; its straight branches can be used as fire drills.

California Buckeye (photo by Dan Killam, CC BY 4.0)

California Buckeye (photo by John Rusk, CC BY 2.0)

California Buckeye balls (photo by John Morgan, CC BY 2.0)

Homodíbe mɨɨm? (Where is it?) You can find poló growing near the water tanks on the Rancheria.

Esak’ahá daak’ábe mi c’aykɨ́ɨ? (Do you want to know more?) This webpage is part of a larger initiative to share signage highlighting plants found around the Shingle Springs Rancheria and their Nisenan names.

Webpage last updated: 2025-07-15