Includes also European and Asian chestnuts as well as Asian and American chinkapins.
Leaf tracings are 1/3 of actual size on an 8 x 10 printout.
Tallest of the chestnuts with nuts smaller and sweeter than other chestnuts,
but not as sweet as the Allegheny chinkapin, the American chestnut was
highly valued as a timber tree and a dependable source of nuts for wildlife.
It is identified by the leaves which are smooth and waxy on the underside,
with deeply sculpted intervals along the edges, accentuating the teeth
(therefore the designation, dentata). The base of the leaf tapers
sharply, and its point is an elongated sharp taper (lanceolate). American
chestnut burs usually contain three nuts each. Hybrids of other
chestnut species with American tend to have leaves that resemble the American
mother, and can only be distinguished by microscopic examination of leaf
hairs by an expert. For identification purposes, 10 leaf samples
growing in full sun and including some immature leaves should be collected
in June and mounted bottom-side up on cardboard, using scotch tape, before
sending via US Mail. 
More resistant than any other chestnut species to the blight fungus, its
nuts are sweeter and finer textured than those of the Japanese chestnut,
and they are usually larger than those of the American chestnut. The chestnuts
most commonly found for sale in country stores are Chinese. Most Chinese
chestnuts do not have good timber form; their shape resembles an apple
tree. Their leaves are quite variable. Compared to American leaves, those
of Chinese chestnut are more oval shaped (oval-lanceolate), with the tips
abruptly tapered and the base more rounded; the intervals along the edges
between the teeth are not remarkable, and the underside of leaves are covered
with downy hairs, soft to the touch (therefore the designation, mollissima).
The Chinese chestnut is the hardiest of Asian chestnuts, with a natural
range extending from south China to north of Beijing. In the southern part
of its range, it is found at higher elevations; in the northern range,
it thrives only on the better sites, particularly lower mountain slopes
where it has some protection, good air drainage, good soil and the advantage
of underground water from the slopes above. There are many different varieties
of Chinese chestnuts, and their hardiness varies. Generally they grow vigorously
on good sites in the United States and are seldom injured by blight. However,
owing to a poor site, drought, or winter injury, they are sometimes severely
attacked and killed by blight.
Nearly as tall as the American, the European chestnut has a similar growth
habit, tall and straight in the forest, spreading in open settings. It
is slightly less blight-susceptible than American. It's nuts are about
the same size as Chinese, but sweeter. It's leaves are quite variable,
at a glance, easily confused with American hybrids.
The Japanese chestnut grows wild in the mountains and hills of Japan. Not
as tall as the American, its nuts range in size from that of the American
to that of the European chestnut. Usually the nuts are large, coarse in
texture and poor in flavor. The leaves are quite variable. Compared to
the American, the Japanese chestnut leaf has a similar long sharp tapering
tip, but a blunt base; its teeth are very small and poorly defined.
Native in middle China from the coast to the far west, the Henry chinkapin grows 75 to 90 feet tall with a straight, symmetrical trunk. In the United States, the Henry chinkapin seems to be more susceptible than the other Asiatic species to freezing temperatures and the blight fungus.
Native to the Ozarks, this tree grows up to 60 feet tall. It is susceptible
to blight. Leaves are very similar to American chestnut, the same shape
and deeply toothed. The distinguishing sparse hairs on the underside of
leaves may not be visible to the naked eye. The bur is slightly larger
than Allegheny chinkapin and holds a single small plump nut.
Usually no taller than 30 feet, the Seguin chestnut grows in the warm climate
of southern China. Nuts of the Seguin are very small. In the United States
this species grows well only in the Southeast.
This small tree or spreading shrub grows in dry woods in the east from
New Jersey and Pennsylvania south to Florida and Texas. It is susceptible
to blight. The sharply tapered base of the leaves resemble American chestnut;
the leaf tip is pointed but not elongated, and the broader part of the leaf
is near the tip (obovate-lanceolate); the sculpting along the edges, between
the teeth, and the downy undersides of leaves resemble Chinese chestnut.
One inch burs each hold one tiny, very sweet, plump nut.
LEAF QUIZ: Below are samples from 3 Castanea species.
Which is which? Hint: these are the ones most often seen within
the natural range of American chestnut. For the correct answers,
return to the Webrary page.
