Its natural range is primarily in the Midwestern and lower Great Plains regions of the United States, extending southeast into the geological Black Belt of Alabama and Mississippi.

[5] It is found in a variety of natural habitats, including streambanks, upland mesic forests, and along the margins of old fields.

[8] However, Native Americans reportedly did eat buckeye fruit after boiling it to extract tannin.

[9] The name stems from Native Americans, who called the nut "hetuck", which means "buck eye".

[8] Although occasionally seen in cultivation, the large, copiously produced fruits make it generally undesirable as a street tree.

[12][13] Native Americans blanched buckeye nuts, extracting the tannic acid for use in making leather.