Ryan Scranton of Granville Beach, NS, was the runner-up. Aesculus hippocastanum is a large tree, growing to about 39 metres (128 ft) tall: 371 with a domed crown of stout branches; on old trees the outer branches are often pendulous with curled-up tips. A: Hockey sticks B: Artificial limbs C: Railway sleepers: How many conkers did Eamonn Dooley of Ireland smash in an hour in October 2001? There is a large horse chestnut tree located on the town's common (and adjacent to town hall) that was used as a source for the chestnuts. Conkers are also known regionally as cheesers, a "cheeser" being a conker with one or more flat sides, which comes about due to it sharing its pod with other conkers (twins or triplets). Conkers are the brown seed that come from the horse chestnut tree. It’s not native to the British Isles, coming instead from the Balkans, although like many immigrants it has embedded itself in the culture of these islands such that it would be strange to imagine it not being here. The conker tree, also known as the horse chestnut, is classified as vulnerable to extinction which inspired me to grow more of them this year. Conkers usually only start to fall from trees in late September but this year they have already started falling a full month early and long before the season usually starts. It produces prickly fruit capsules that contain a glossy brown and nut-like seed. Amanda was eliminated in the second round the following year, and the 2019 final saw Spike Sprague of Granville Ferry, NS, pitted against his mother, Georgette Sprague. Source(s): https://shrinke.im/a8l90. Not until the attacking player misses will the defending player take a turn. While it may not come as a surprise, considering the name of the tree they come from, conkers have been fed to horses as a stimulant, to make their coat shine and as a remedy for coughs, and also made into food for both horses and cattle. Centenary Way, White Hart Lane, Chelmsford. Prior to this recent re-emergence, it had been played during the late 1940s and early 1950s in New York in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, and in the 1950s and early 1960s in the amalgamated section of the Bronx and nearby Mt.Vernon. but seriously, i'd go to any nearby park and there are bound to be some come september (or whenever wikipedia says obviously). Since they are normally purchased as container or burlapped plants, the planting hole should be about three times their width and deep enough to accommodate them with the top of the rootball flush with the soil. How to Grow a Conker Tree. The opponents face each other and the defending gallito is laid in the center of a circle drawn in the dirt. Conkers trees are usually large, and they are more than 100 feet tall. However, over time tree sap can go through the clear coat and begin to damage the paint beneath, leading to discoloration and staining. Conkers are poisonous to most animals too, including dogs, but some species such as deer and wild boar can eat them. But the nuts of chestnuts and chestnut trees do look very similar. A: 125 B: 289 C: 306: In what year was the first recorded game of conkers? Conkers (seeds) are surrounded by a spiky green case. Often, these brown spots will also be surrounded by yellow discoloration. Curiously, conkers are also poisonous to horses despite the tree being named after them. A the end of the simulated Tree top walk – it’s the only way down! A quarter have no idea which trees conkers come from, 34 per cent don’t know what species a Christmas tree is and 62 per cent can’t tell a birch from a beech. Leaves: Both the trees are deciduous. Sweet chestnut trees and horse chestnut trees are not actually related, but their seeds are similar. The title of Queen of Conkers has remained in the UK, except in 2001 when Frenchwoman Celine Parachou won. Top Gear, along with other media commentators, wrongly stated that the wearing of goggles during the game was due to an official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) edict when it was in fact due to a myth which started when a headmaster bought goggles for children to use as a parody of health and safety regulation[15] and sponsored a Conkers tournament. It was played in the Catholic areas of North Cambridge, MA in the late 1950s, and a winning chestnut was also labeled a "killer". And Britons struggle when it comes to identifying trees and their seeds, with more than one in ten having no idea that an acorn comes from an oak tree. For example, a. This has continued as a yearly event, where the organisers still donate each year to visually impaired charities. As for … Horse Chestnut trees (Aesculus Hippocastanums) are currently shedding their smooth, shiny conkers (much to the children's delight! In 1999 the Irish Conker Championships began in Freshford, County Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland. A similar Puerto Rican game (played with the smaller seed of the jatobá, Hymenaea courbaril) is called gallitos (meaning small roosters or cocks, as in cockfighting). s These are the fruit of the horse chestnut tree. Victor of the 2014 North American Championship was Julian Smith of Yarmouth, NS. It is not entirely true that horse chestnuts cannot be eaten. For years and years primary school children have collected them for the battle game of the same name. tadah! The first mention of the game is in Robert Southey's memoirs published in 1821. It was being played in the 1960s in Rhode Island. You can't eat the latter. Conkers come from the Horsechestnut tree Aeseculus hippocastanum and are inedible. Conkers come from horse chestnut trees (Image: Getty) Beaulieu Park. Report Save. People often call it horse chestnut tree. 4 years ago. (I believe it’s the sweet chestnut tree that we get horse chestnuts to eat.) Our playground games correspondent and all-round expert Esme, aged seven-and-three-quarters, is here to tell you all you need to know. [1], The first recorded game of Conkers using horse chestnuts was on the Isle of Wight in 1848.[2]. Conker is the name used in Britain, Ireland and some former British colonies for the nuts of the Common Horse-chestnut tree, when used in a game traditionally played by children, Conkers.