Castanea pumila 'Fuller'
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- kas-TAY-nee-uh POO-mil-ah
- Description
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Fuller chinquapin is a monoecious, multi-stemmed, deciduous, small tree or a large shrub that matures at about 25 feet high. It is often found in southeastern North America, although not common in North Carolina, on dry sandy ridges and rich hillsides where it forms thickets, in woods, or the borders of swamps. It is an edible plant and a good wood source for fuel. It is not frost tender, is moderately resistant to chestnut blight and drought, and tolerates heat and fire. Although it is winter hardy, this plant thrives in areas with hot summers. Fuller chinquapin can spread widely by means of underground suckers and the nuts produced by the plant can be messy.
The Fuller chinquapin prefers dry or moist well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil including acid and neutral soils. It will grow in partial sun, but prefers full sun and does not do well in the shade.
Chinkapin nuts are palatable to humans as well as wildlife. They have a sweet flavor and are eaten by many birds and mammals. The cultivar, ‘Fuller’ has been developed specifically as a nut crop.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
Chinkapin is moderately resistant to chestnut blight, but fewer trees are reported each year due to the inhibitory effects of the fungus.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Castanea
- Species:
- pumila
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood is light, hard, close-grained, and strong. It is used for fence posts and fuel.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Larval host for butterflies. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer. Its nuts are eaten by woodpeckers, bluejays, small mammals, wild turkeys, black bears, and white-tailed deer.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Edibility:
- Nuts can be eaten, raw or cooked.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 13 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Multi-stemmed
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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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
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- The small-sized fruit is covered with sharp spines, matures in early September, and forms clusters. Each bur in the cluster contains one brown nut. The nut has a sweet flavor.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers bloom in late spring. Male flower is pale yellow, 4 to 6 inches long and female flower is much smaller, about 1/8 inch long. Flowers are produced on the current year's growth.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Fuller chinquapin features alternate, simple, elongated green leaves with coarse teeth at the margin. Lanceolate shaped with pinnate vein, the leaves are similar, but smaller, than those on the American chestnut. The leaves are bright yellow-green n the top and silvery tomentose (covered with densely matted woolly hairs) on the lower surface.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Scaly
- Bark Description:
- The bark is light brown tinged with red, slightly furrowed and broken into loose plate-like scales.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Scales:
- Enclosed in more than 2 scales
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Twigs are densely hairy (tomentose) when young, becoming shiny brown with densely reddish-hairy buds with 2-3 overlapping scales.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Heat
- Problems:
- Messy
