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The Chestnuts

Castanea

A small genus of 12 deciduous ( evergreen in related Castanopsis ) long lived ( before the Blight ) trees that are relatives of the Oak. They are highly valued as a food crop and for their lumber which is very rot resistant. They wood is used for telephone poles, construction and fences. They may be coppiced to produce poles.
The wood makes excellent firewood however such use is a waste considering they equal the Oaks for quality of timber.
The Chestnuts prefer hot summers, full sun and moist, deep, well drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil. Propagation is typically from seed sown 2 inches deep as soon as ripened. Chestnuts should be planted out in their permanent place when very young since older trees do not transplant well. The seedlings quickly develop a deep taproot which makes them difficult to move. When young; they are best pruned a single leader and feathered; space and shorten main limbs.

Castanea ashei ( Florida Chinkapin )
From the southern U.S.on the Coastal Plain from Louisiana to around Norfolk, Va; the Coastal Chinkapin is very similar to Castanea pumila except with bracts that are less densely spiny. Some records include: 33 years - 41 feet; largest ever recorded - 60 x 65 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet. Hardy north to zone 7

Castanea crenata ( Japanese Chestnut )
Native to Japan, the Japanese Chestnut typically forms a moderate growing tree to about 30 or 40 feet in size. Under ideal conditions; it can grow much faster and larger to a record of 100 x 120 feet with a trunk diameter of 7.7 feet. Normally it grows to about 30 feet in 20 years and 60 feet in 50 years. A very large tree grows at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, PA. Very long-lived, it can persist for as long as 800 years.
The coarsely serrated leaves are similar to Castanea mollissima but only reach up to 5 inches in length and are narrower. The foliage is deep shiny green above and hairy, blue-green beneath.
An excellent, timber tree that is not prone to Chestnut Blight.
Nut bearing on good sites begins in about 6 years.
Hardy zones 4 to 9 in full sun on fertile, well drained soil.

Sleeping Giant
a hybrid with Castanea dentata

Castanea dentata ( American Chestnut )
Among the largest of deciduous hardwoods, the American Chestnut easily exceeds 100 feet with a trunk diameter over 5 feet with a broad rounded crown. It is also very fast growing and some records include: 2nd year - 5 feet; largest ever reported - 200 x 100 feet with trunk diameter of 20 feet. This tree produced decent lumber in as little as 15 years! It was extremely abundant within its native range which was from Michigan to Maine; south to Mississippi to central Georgia.
The foliage is similar to Castanea sativa but is narrower and hairless, reaching up to 12 x 4 inches. They are dull dark green above and paler green below.
The smooth, foliage turns to orange in the fall but earlier than C. mollissima.
The flowers are borne in creamy yellow catkins up to 10 inches in length.
The American Chestnut can bear nuts in as early as 4 years from seed.
Each spiny husk up to 3 inches across contain 2 or 3 nuts up to an inch across. Grown from seed; the American Chestnut can produce nuts in 15 years.
The ebible nuts are very nutritious being high in carbs ( 40 % ), Vitamin C, Iron and Phosphorus, they have about 1000 calories per pound. The fruits are produced abundantly yearly and an acre of mature Chestnut may be even more productive than an acre of wheat. The fruit dont taste very good raw but are sweet tasting after being roasted. The nuts can be punctured ( so they dont blow up ) then cooked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees in the stove.
The bark is red-brown and smooth on young trees breaking up into flat, broad, scaly ridges on older trees. This tree was formerly valued for its extremely tough, decay free lumber.
It is hardy from zone 4 to 9; tolerating as low as -33 F.
this tree is very drought tolerant and its roots can permeate as deep as 30 feet in brick clay.
American Chestnut was at one time the most abundant and valuable tree in the eastern U.S., making 25 % of all hardwoods and 40 % in some areas. It grows in all soils except limestone and swamp muck. Deers, bears, squirrels, chipmunks, wild turkey, bobwhite quail and passenger pigeons ( now extinct ) eat the nuts. People used the rot resistant wood for fence posts, rails and utility poles. Tasty to humans too, this tree being the sweetest of all Chestnuts was once widely grown for its edible nuts.
It is now rare to endangered in all its native range due to being ravaged by Chestnut Blight, a bark fungal disease which as accidently introduced to North America early in the 1900s. By 1937 - 99% of the American Chestnut on the North American continent were already ripped off the face of the earth. The American Chestnut can sucker from cut trees; some sucker sprouts still grow from trees that dies decades ago. The American Chestnut is federally endangered in Canada with its population of 0.5 million trees wiped out. In the U.S. 4 billion trees were wiped out by this fungal disease.
Recently a weakened form of Chestnut Blight emerged. It infects the normal robust form with a virus weakening it so that the tree can wall off the invading fungus behind new bark tissue. Scientist are working on spreading this.
Even before Chestnut Blight, another accidently introduced fungus ( Phytophora cinnamoni ) wiped out a large portion of Chestnut across the lowland south, however spared populations in the mountains and north of central Virgiania. These populations helped the economies of many rural communities until wiped out by the Chestnut Blight.

* photos taken on April 30 in Howard County, MD


















* historical photos found on internet






* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 in Washington, D.C.





* photo taken on May 18 2013 in Columbia, MD
* photos taken on Aug 4 2013 in Bayfield, Ontario

* photos taken on Oct 17 2013 in Howard Co., MD



Castanea henryi ( Henry Chestnut )

Growing into one of the Worlds largest ( and also very rare ) decidious hardwood trees, the Henry Chinkapin an Asian relative of the once near equally massive but now mostly extinct American Chestnut. The Henry Chinkapin however is resistant to the Chestnut Blight that killed off our native trees in the early to mid 1900s. It is hardy from zones 4 to 8 and actually prefers hot humid summers and is very drought tolerant. It grows well on any well drained soil. This tree though most people never heard of it makes for an excellent shade tree in the Mid Atlantic, Midwest and Deep South.
Though not much research has been done on this tree, it has grown to 21 feet in 6 years in the Mid Atlantic region of the U.S. In the wild before Asias ecosystems were trashed from logging, this tree reaches heights up to 240 feet. Likely just as with the American Chestnut, some trees reached over 12 feet in trunk diameter and ages of 600 years. The Henry Chinkapin typically grows with a tall straight symettrical trunk.
The lance-shaped leaves, reach up to 9 x 2.5 inches in size. The very attractive foliage is deep green.

* photo taken Feb 2009 @ U.S. National Arboretum



* photos taken on May 1 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.














* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.


* photos taken on July 17 2010 @ Morris Arboretum, Philly, PA




Castanea mollissima ( Chinese Chestnut )
Native to central & eastern China & Korea. The Chinese Chestnut is typically a fast growing rounded canopy tree reaching around 60 feet in size. Much larger on ideal sites; some records include: 20 years - 60 x 40 feet; largest on record - 100 x 100 feet with trunk diameter of 5 feet.
The leaves are short stalked unlike Castanea sativa. They are oblong or ovate, coarsely serrated and up to 9 x 3.5 inches in size. The foliage is dark green above and felted & sometimes white below. This tree is late leafing out in spring and its foliage turns to bronze in fall.
The creamy-yellow flowers are borne in slender, upright, catkins up to 10 inches long in early summer.
The shoots are persistantly downy and the bark is brown and while smooth when young, it becomes fissured with age
This tree is cultivated widely for its glossy, red-brown edible nuts that are borne in spiny husks up to 2 inches across.. Some trees have been known to yield as much as 323 pounds of nuts in a year and a healty tree should bear 100 ibs or slightly
The Chinese Chestnut is not prone to Chestnut Blight and has therefore mostly replaced Castanea dentata in the U.S. It is also a valuable ornamental and shade tree and is often found planted on farmsteads.
Hardy zones 5 to 9 ( zone 4 or -30 F for Millers Manchurian )

* taken @ Green Spring Gardens, Annandale, VA on Oct 2001


* photo taken on May 1 2010 in Howard County, MD


* photos taken on May 16 2010 @ Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore, MD











* photos taken on Aug 20 2011 @ Audubon Sanctuary, Montgomery Co, MD

* photos taken on June 7 2012 in Howard Co., MD
* photo taken on July 9 2013 in Columbia, MD

* photos taken on Oct 17 2013 @ Agricultural History Farm Park, Olney, MD


Millers Manchurian
a full zone hardier; tolerating as low as -30 F. Completely disease free; it is a hybrid with C. dentata and its fruit has the sweet flavor of the American Chestnut. It is more vigorous than either parent.

Castanea ozarkensis ( Ozark Chinkapin )
Similar to Castanea pumila except that it is native to the Ozark Mountains in the south central U.S. ranging from central Oklahoma to soutern Missouri; south to Louisiana to Alabama. A moderate growing, small tree typically reaching around 30 feet; on the best of sites it can grow much larger with the largest recorded size being 80 x 40 feet with a trunk diameter of 5 feet.
The coarsely serrated, elliptical leaves are up to 9 inches or very rarely 11 inches on vigorous shoots. The foliage is deep green above and blue-green below.
Hardy north to zone 6. Having been devestated by Chestnut Blight; few tree size Ozark Chinkapins remain.

Castanea pumila ( Alleghany Chinkapin )
Native to the southern & eastern U.S. from eastern Oklahoma & southern Missouri to Pennsylvania / New Jersey; south to eastern Texas to northern Florida. The Alleghany Chinkapin is a moderate growing, dense canopied tree to 75 feet. Some records include: 2 years - 6 x 3.3 feet; 5 years - 9 x 8 feet; 6 year nut yield - 1500 nuts; 30 years - 43 feet with a trunk diameter of 18 inches; largest recorded - 120 x 60 feet with a trunk diameter of 4.5 feet.
The leaves are glossy dark green above, furry and white beneath; they are up to 8.5 x 3.2 inches in size. They are not tapered as sharply as the American Chestnut and color from yellow to purple in autumn.
The young shoots are downy.
Flower catkins, up to 7 inches in length, are pale yellow. The flowers are borne during early summer.
The husks are 1 to 1.5 inches wide and contain only 1 nut up to 0.8 inches across.
The nuts are edible and sweet tasting. They are also very nutritious just like Castanea dentata but are much smaller.
The bark is reddish to gray-brown. The wood is similar to that of Castanea dentata but most trees seen these days are not of harvestable size.
Hardy zones 5 to 9 ( tolerating -30 F ) in full sun on dryish, fertile, well drained soil. The Alleghany Chinkapin is found on drier upland sites in the wild. It is much less prone to Chestnut Blight than Castanea dentata.

Castanea sativa ( Sweet Chestnut )
Native to mountain forests of southern Europe, western Asia and north Africa. It is a fast growing, round canopied tree reaching up to 100 feet.
Some records include: fastest growth rate - trunk diameter increase of 1 inch per year; 20 years - 82 x 50 feet; 157 years- trunk diameter of 6.6 feet; largest ever recorded - 160 x 120 feet with a trunk diameter of 17 feet. A tree with a trunk diameter of 32 feet once grew at Mt. Etna, Italy. The Sweet Chestnut can live up to 1000 years in age.
The oblong, taper pointed leaves are coarsely serrate edged with "bristle teeth" and are up to 12 inches in length ( record leaf size - 18 x 4 inches ).
They are glossy, dark green above and paler as well as slightly furry below.
The foliage turns to orange late in the fall.
Flowers are yellow-green catkins up to 13 inches long that put on an attractive display in mid summer.
The edible nuts are an important crop in many countries and are excellent roasted over an open fire. The Sweet Chestnut typically bears nuts in 15 years though sometimes as early as 7.
The glossy, red-brown nuts are borne in spiny husks up to 2.5 inches across.
The Sweet Chestnut once formed the economy of many hilly areas around the Mediterranean.
Hardy zones 5 to 8. This Chestnut IS prone to Chestnut Blight but not as bad as Castanea dentata.
* photos found on internet




* photos taken by Milan Havlis, owner of central Europes premier plant nursery

* video found on Youtube



Albomarginate
Dark green foliage that is margined creamy white. Flowers catkins are creamy yellow.
The foliage turns to yellow in autumn.

* photo taken by Milan Havlis, owner of central Europes premier plant nursery


Aureomarginata
leaves have yellow margins

Castanea sequinii
Native to central China and reaching up to 40 feet or very rarely 60 feet with a trunk diameter up to 27 inches. The leaves are up to 6 inches in length. Hardy zones 6 to 9 and is NOT prone to Chestnut Blight.

* photos taken on October 17 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.




Castanopsis chrysophylla ( Golden Chinkapin )
A tall, conical, dense crowned evergreen tree native to forests of the west coast U.S. from coastal Washington to central California. Moderate growing, reaching up to 80 feet; the largest recorded is 150 feet in height and 8 feet in trunk diameter. The Golden Chinkapin can also live up to 500 years.
The leathery foliage is lance shape and up to 6 x 2 inches with smooth, curled margins. The evergreen leaves are dark glossy green above and golden yellow below.
The creamy white flowers are in upright catkins up to 2.5 inches in length.
The fruits resembles that of Castanea dentata.
The bark on young trees is smooth however on older trees becomes red-brown and plated. Hardy north to zone 6 however does not grow in eastern North Americas hot humid summers. Unfortunately prone to Chestnut Blight.

Castanopsis cuspidata ( Japanese Chinkapin )
A dominent forest tree of eastern Asia from southern Japan, south Korea and southeastern China. Its timber is used in the construction of homes.
It is a fast growing tree to 80 feet. The largest on record is 150 x 80 feet with reported trunk diameters of 20 feet in the past. The Japanese Chinkapin can live up to 1300 years of age.
The narrow, pointed, leathery leaves are up to 6 x 3 inches in size. They are coppery when young maturing to green above, nearly white below. The margins can be either smooth or slightly toothed.
In late spring, the yellow green flowers are borne in catkins up to 3 inches long.
They are later followed by edible nuts.
Hardy zones 6 to 9. As with most of the Castanopsis; Japanese Chinkapin prefers warm, humid summers and mild winters. They prefer heavy summer rainfall and a light, well drained, moist, fertile soil. Pruning is generally done in early spring but is restricted to training young trees to shape and the occasional rare maintenance. Can be propagated from seed or half hardened cuttings.

Castanopsis delavayi
Fast growing and can reach up to 17 feet with a trunk diameter of 3.5 feet in only 6 years!

Castanopsis kawakamii
Native to southern China and can reach a maximum size of 90 feet in height and 3 feet in trunk diameter. Leaves are up to 5 x 2 inches in size.

Castanopsis orthacantha
Reaches up to 50 feet in England. Worthy of experimentation in the U.S.

Castanopsis sclerophylla
Reaches up to 15 feet in 9 years, 30 feet in 20 years with a maximum size of 57 x 55 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet.