Americans, quick — have the right to you name your state tree? many of united state can"t, off the height of our heads. If girlfriend live in Ohio, however, we bet friend knew the prize immediately. The buckeye tree is the official state tree that Ohio, adopted on Oct. 2, 1953. Further, we call Ohio "The Buckeye State," and also the buckeye nut is the mascot for Ohio State University. Why is the buckeye so vital to Ohioans?

As the tale goes, Ohio"s nickname stems from general William Harrison"s 1840 presidential campaign. His buckeye-log cabin west that Cincinnati, decorated v a wire of buckeyes, ended up being the prize of his run and even component of his campaign song. Part of the lyrics went together follows:


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"Oh what, phone call me what is to be her cabin"s fate?

We"ll wheel it to the capital and also place it there elate,

for a token and also a sign of the bonnie Buckeye state."

What else provides the buckeye for this reason special? according to legend, the buckeye is a powerful good luck charm. Let"s take a closer look in ~ this particle of good fortune and also its story.

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The nut, or seed, that the buckeye tree (native to the Ohio area) continues to be on the tree in a spiny covering until that ripens in autumn, as soon as it"s exit from the hull and also falls to the ground. About the dimension of a prune, a buckeye seed resembles a chestnut with a light circle in the center. It"s this circle that aboriginal Americans thought looked choose a male deer"s eye — hence the name "buckeye." yet beware: also though buckeyes look favor chestnuts, they"re contempt toxic and really shouldn"t be eaten.

In the early on 19th century, the Germans and also Dutch believed the equine chestnut (very similar in appearance come the buckeye) hosted special powers, including a cure for headaches, rheumatism, arthritis and also decreased libido. Superstition professionals think immigrant to phibìc America moved these ideas over to the similar-looking buckeye, and also the legend simply stuck.

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Why carry it in your pocket? Convenience, maybe. You have the right to simply reach right into your pocket and also rub it or twirl it between your finger for good luck. If you shed it, there"s usually another one lying approximately somewhere.

Except probably in the summer that 2014, as soon as a gaming commission began running a commercial declaring the lucky characteristics of buckeyes. A casino bought 5,000 buckeyes to give away come gamblers and ended up purchasing 40,000 prior to running out. The promo actually led to a buckeye shortage in the area . One gentleman reported taking a buckeye particle on a pilgrimage to a casino and winning more than $3,000. Coincidence, or the happiness of the buckeye? give it a try — and also let us know how it functions out!


Hughes, Leah. "Buckeye." our State. March 2013. (Dec. 30, 2014) http://www.ourstate.com/buckeye/Koch, Anna. "Lucky seeds and also buckeye trees." Casper Star Tribune. Sept. 9, 2007. (Dec. 30, 2014) http://trib.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/lucky-seeds-and-buckeye-trees/article_a2d10cd8-6726-5a71-9470-ecfa501f16fd.htmlOhio Nature. "What"s Special about the Ohio Buckeye Tree?" 2013. (Dec. 30, 2014) http://www.ohio-nature.com/buckeye-tree.htmlSuperstitions Online. "Buckeye Nuts." April 19, 2011. (Dec. 30, 2014) http://superstitionsonline.com/buckeye-nuts/WLWT5. "Buckeye shortage in Ohio ~ gaming advertisement touts "lucky buckeyes"." June 23, 2014. (Dec. 30, 2014) http://www.wlwt.com/news/buckeye-shortage-in-ohio-after-gaming-commercial-touts-lucky-buckeyes/26627662