what is a conker shell called

A shankha shell (the shell of a T. pyrum, a species in the gastropod family Turbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell or a chank shell. This shell is used as an important ritual object in Hinduism. The shell is used as a ceremonial trumpet, as part of religious practices, for example puja.

Full Answer

What is a conker?

A conker is the name given to the fruit of the horse chestnut tree. The horse chestnut is not to be confused with other types of chestnut, as conkers are inedible and toxic.

What are Conkers on a horse chestnut?

Conkers are the glossy brown seeds of the horse chestnut tree. They grow in green spiky cases and fall to the ground in autumn - the shells often split on impact to reveal the shiny conker inside. Can you eat conkers? No. Conkers contain a poisonous chemical called aesculin.

Where did the game of conkers get its name?

The first recorded game of Conkers using horse chestnuts was on the Isle of Wight in 1848. There is uncertainty of the origins of the name.

Are conkers poisonous to dogs?

No. Conkers contain a poisonous chemical called aesculin. Eating a conker is unlikely to be fatal, but it may make you ill. They are poisonous to most animals too, including dogs, but some species such as deer and wild boar can eat them. Curiously, conkers are also poisonous to horses despite the tree being named after them.

What is a conker shell?

Conkers are the glossy brown seeds of the horse chestnut tree. They grow in green spiky cases and fall to the ground in autumn - the shells often split on impact to reveal the shiny conker inside.

What's inside a conker shell?

What is a conker? The green spiky balls that dangle from horse-chestnuts are its fruit, which develop over summer from the candle-like flowers. Inside is the conker, which is the seed of the horse-chestnut.

Is a conker a seed pod?

The seed pod which contains the conker is globular, green and has sharp brown spines, with a soft white interior lining. Many fall before they are ripe and open to show white seeds but the best conkers are big, glossy, mahogany brown and grained; sometimes two or more come in a pod.

What are conkers called?

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).

Do conkers keep spiders away?

Conkers might not repel spiders Unfortunately, there's no proof this is true. The story goes that conkers contain a noxious chemical that repels spiders but no-one's ever been able to scientifically prove it. There's hearsay that if a spider gets close to a conker it will curl its legs up and die within one day.

Why are horse chestnuts so called?

Etymology. The common name horse chestnut originates from the similarity of the leaves and fruits to sweet chestnuts, Castanea sativa (a tree in a different family, the Fagaceae), together with the alleged observation that the fruit or seeds could help panting or coughing horses.

How many conkers are in a shell?

Each fruit generally contains one conker (or horse chestnut) but may occasionally contain two or even three conkers. In the autumn the fruits fall to the ground, often already open.

Are chestnuts and conkers the same?

Chestnuts and conkers are quite different from each other, especially in the fact that chestnuts are edible and conkers are not. That said, the two nuts are often confused for each other, as they both have the same reddish-brown color and conkers are often referred to as horse chestnuts.

Can u eat conkers?

No, you cannot consume these nuts safely. They are. Cattle, horses, sheep, and chickens have been poisoned by eating poisonous conkers or even the young shoots and foliage of the trees. Even honeybees can be killed by feeding on horse chestnut nectar and sap.

Are conkers poisonous to dogs?

Dogs who have eaten or swallowed conkers, allowing the toxins to enter their body, can be very sick. They can vomit, collapse, have diarrhoea, get very restless with the discomfort and pain, become severely dehydrated and go into toxic shock.

How do you hit a conker?

1:242:23How to Play Conkers (Horse Chestnuts) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd try or the string around his finger and tries to hit the conquer with there's the aim is to hitMoreAnd try or the string around his finger and tries to hit the conquer with there's the aim is to hit them as often as possible and then to aim - to actually break the other conker.

Can dogs eat horse chestnuts?

All parts of the horse chestnut tree are poisonous and could make your dog ill. The toxin is found in the seeds (conkers), leaves, bark and flowers.

What is a seed pod?

seed pod. noun. a carpel or pistil enclosing the seeds of a plant, esp a flowering plant.

What is the difference between a seed and a pod?

A pod is a case that holds a plant's seeds. When you buy fresh peas from the farmer's market, they come still in their pod. In many plants, seeds grow in groups, nestled within a pod. Peas are one such plant, and many other legumes and flowers have seed pods as well.

What is another name for a seed pod?

What is another word for seedpod?seed huskhuskpericarppodbur

What trees have pods?

Pod-bearing trees include the yellow kowhai, the coral tree, the Eastern redbud, and the Western redbud, the blue palo verde, and the purple orchid tree. Tree species that bear elongated pods include the carob tree, the koa tree, the Japanese angelica, the catalpa tree, and the famous yellowwood tree. What is this?

What is a conker?

A selection of fresh conkers from a horse chestnut tree. Conkers is a traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself. The game is played by two players, each with a conker threaded onto a piece of string: they take turns ...

How to make a hole in a conker?

A hole is drilled in a large, hard conker using a nail, gimlet, small screwdriver, or electric drill. A piece of string (often a shoelace is used), about 20 cm (8 inches) long, is threaded through it. A large knot at one or both ends of the string secures the conker.

How do conkers work?

One player lets the conker dangle on the full length of the string while the other player swings their conker and hits.

Why are conkers not allowed in schools?

In 2000 a survey of British schools by Keele University showed that many were not allowing children to play conkers, as head teachers were afraid of the legal consequences if children were injured while playing the game, or because they thought that the conkers might be used as weapons . The TV programme Top Gear later staged a game of conkers using caravans (travel trailers) suspended from cranes. After putting on safety goggles, presenter James May commented "I now feel perfectly happy about being hit in the face by a caravan." 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 and sponsored a Conkers tournament.

Why were conkers banned from the British Junior Conkers Championships?

At the British Junior Conkers Championships on the Isle of Wight in October 2005, contestants were banned from bringing their own conkers due to fears that they might harden them.

What is the Campaign for Real Conkers?

The Campaign for Real Conkers claimed this was an example of over-regulation which was causing a drop in interest in the game. In both the World Conker Championship and the North American Championship, contestants are also restricted to using the conkers provided by the Organisers.

How to harden conkers?

Hardening conkers is often done by keeping them for a year (aged conkers are called laggies in many areas or seasoners in Ireland and Liverpool), baking them briefly, soaking or boiling in vinegar, or painting with clear nail varnish. Such hardening is, however, usually regarded as cheating.

What is a conker?

Conkers are the glossy brown seeds of the horse chestnut tree. They grow in green spiky cases and fall to the ground in autumn - the shells often split on impact to reveal the shiny conker inside.

What is the difference between a sweet chestnut and a conker?

Both come in green shells, but conker cases have short, stumpy spikes all over. Inside, the conkers are round and glossy.

Can you eat conkers?

No. Conkers contain a poisonous chemical called aesculin. Eating a conker is unlikely to be fatal, but it may make you ill. They are poisonous to most animals too, including dogs, but some species such as deer and wild boar can eat them.

Why is it called a conker?

Another possible reason for the name is that it was once thought (mistakenly) that horse chestnuts helped cure horses of chest complaints and made their coats shiny. The name conker may have come from the sound that's made as two conkers hit each other.

When were conkers first played?

The first recorded game of conkers played with horse chestnut seeds took place in 1848 on the Isle of Wight.

What causes a tree to have a canker?

Scientists say that the threat of a bacterium that causes bleeding canker disease is much more serious than the threat created by the leaf miner moth. The dangerous bacterium is called Pseudomonas syringae. It creates an infection in the tree bark (a canker). The damaged area releases a sticky, reddish brown liquid. The infection may be minor. However, in severe cases the infection travels deeper into the tree trunk and kills the inner bark, the cambium (which produces new plant tissue) and the outer wood. Water and nutrient transport may be disrupted. If the infection spreads all around the tree trunk, the tree will die.

Why is Aesculus hippocastanum a horseshoe?

There are several possible reasons why Aesculus hippocastanum is known as a "horse" chestnut. When a leaf drops, the scar left on the tree is shaped like a horseshoe. The scar also contains seven marks around the edge that look like the nails of a horseshoe.

How to play Conker?

It is important to have the hardest conker! A basic idea of the game is to strike the opponent’s conker and try to break it – your conker is then the victor and can count up its victories. Initially the conker is a ‘none-er’ , and it’s first win makes it a ‘one-er’ – if it wins again, it takes a score of one for itself , as it won, and also takes its opponents score to add to it’s own. For example, if a ‘six-er’ beats a ‘three-er’, it scores one for the win, and takes the three from the beaten opponent – so the victorious conker is now a ‘ten-er’. Cheating can be rife! Conkers can be baked, steeped in vinegar or painted with nail varnish – all to harden the fruit, but this is frowned upon.

How many players are in the Conker game?

The game has 2 players, each with his/her own carefully selected conker, with a hole bored through it, on a string. It is important to have the hardest conker! A basic idea of the game is to strike the opponent’s conker and try to break it – your conker is then the victor and can count up its victories.

What fruits were used in the game of conkers?

For example, in ‘Sons and Lovers’ by D H Lawrence, the game is referred to as ‘cobblers’. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the horse chestnut fruits – the conkers – were recorded as being used for the game of conkers, on the Isle of Wight in 1848. After the 1850’s, the use of horse chestnuts to play the game was referred to in various regions ...

Where are the World Conker Championships held?

Even though the game is said to be dying out, and may not be around after the next couple of decades as less and less children are playing the game nowadays, the World Conker Championships are gaining in popularity! They have been held since 1965, originally in Ashton, Northamptonshire. Having had to cancel a fishing expedition, and there being a lot of horse chestnut trees nearby, a group in the local pub decided to have a game of conkers instead, with a prize for the winner and a collection for a blind charity. This has continued as a yearly event, where the organisers still donate each year to visually impaired charities. Their increasing number of participants, classes and spectators each year has led to them relocating since 2013 to Southwick, Northamptonshire. The organisers select the conkers to be used in the championships themselves, and these have to conform to the strict criteria. This year, because of the drought, the conkers available may be smaller and shrivelled, so the organisers may have to import conkers from Germany. It has become an international event, with competitors from all over the world. The first overseas winner was a Mexican, in 1976.

When did the game of conkers start?

It wasn’t until the 19th century that the horse chestnut fruits – the conkers – were recorded as being used for the game of conkers, on the Isle of Wight in 1848 . After the 1850’s, the use of horse chestnuts to play the game was referred to in various regions of the country. From that time on, the game’s popularity grew and spread throughout Britain.

When do conkers fall?

In September and October, the fruits of the horse chestnut tree, known as conkers, begin to fall from the trees. Inside the prickly green casings lie the fruits – brown, shiny, and hard – still favourites to be collected by children all over Britain. They used to be collected for the game of conkers – it was a favourite playground game in Britain ...

Can conkers keep spiders out of a house?

It has also been said that plac ing conkers in the corners of rooms, can keep spiders out of a house – though this is thought to be an old wives’ tale with no scientific evidence for the claim. World War One even managed to interrupt this children’s game.

Overview

Origins

The first mention of the game is in Robert Southey's memoirs published in 1821. He describes a similar game, but played with snail shells or hazelnuts. It was only from the 1850s that using horse chestnuts was regularly referred to in certain regions. The game grew in popularity in the 19th century, and spread beyond England.
The first recorded game of Conkers using horse chestnuts was on the Isle of Wight in 1848.

Game

Championships

North America

Safety concerns

See also

External links