Chinese Chestnut Castanea mollissima
- Phonetic Spelling
- kas-TAY-nee-uh maw-LISS-ih-muh
- Description
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Chinese chestnut is a medium size deciduous flowering tree that is a native of China and, in its natural habitat, often found in woods, forests, and mountain slopes from sea level to 9000 feet. This tree can reach a height and spread of about 40 feet, with a symmetrical and round crown. It branches close to the ground, which makes it a good landscape tree. The smell of the flower might be offensive to some people. The nut is edible, attracts wild life, but use caution when handling it because it is spiny. The tree is resistant to chestnut blight. Chinese chestnut will make a good shade tree in the landscape and has interesting fall color.
The genus name comes from the town of Castania in Thessaly where the trees reportedly grew in abundance. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word for soft, in reference to the pubescent twigs and leaf undersides.
Chinese chestnut prefers full sun to partial shade and moist well drained soil It will grow in clay, sandy soils, loam, and even tolerates nutritionally poor soils. It will do well in neutral and mildly acidic conditions and tolerates occasional drought, hot summers, and humidity. If you are growing this tree for its edible nuts, planting more than one tree will facilitate cross-pollination and produce a more abundant nut crop. However, falling chestnuts can pose a litter problem.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or insect pests. It is resistant to chestnut blight, which has nearly wiped out the native American chestnut.
VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance'
- Castanea mollissima 'Crane'
- Castanea mollissima 'Kuling'
- Castanea mollissima 'Meiling'
- Castanea mollissima 'Nanking'
- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance'
- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance', Castanea mollissima 'Crane', Castanea mollissima 'Kuling', Castanea mollissima 'Meiling', Castanea mollissima 'Nanking'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance'
- Castanea mollissima 'Crane'
- Castanea mollissima 'Kuling'
- Castanea mollissima 'Meiling'
- Castanea mollissima 'Nanking'
- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance'
- Castanea mollissima 'Abundance', Castanea mollissima 'Crane', Castanea mollissima 'Kuling', Castanea mollissima 'Meiling', Castanea mollissima 'Nanking'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Castanea
- Species:
- mollissima
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The nut is edible raw, boiled, or baked. The wood is hard, strong, and light and often used for fence posts.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- East Asia, China to North Korea
- Distribution:
- Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Taiwan, Windward Islands.
- Wildlife Value:
- Wildlife Enhancement
- Play Value:
- Edible fruit
- Pieces Used in Games
- Textural
- Edibility:
- Seeds can be baked and consumed.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- The oval, round shaped nut ranges from 1 to 3 inches in length. The nut is crisp, meaty and sweet, though not as sweet as American chestnuts. It is good for fresh-eating, roasting, boiling and baking. Ripens in mid or lat September through October. Edible chestnuts are encased in spiny dehiscent burs (2 to 3 inches in diameter), usually 2 to 3 nuts per bur.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Gray/Silver
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- The flower is aromatic and appear in catkins in late spring or early summer. The male flowers are located at the top portion of the catkin and the female flowers near the base. Flowers can be quite showy, albeit for a brief period.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Oblong-lanceolate, coarsely toothed, dark green leaves (5 to 8 inches long) that are soft green and pubescent beneath. Leaves turn shades of yellow in fall.
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Bark:
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Problems:
- Messy
