American Chinquapin Castanea pumila
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- kas-tah-NAY-ah POO-mil-ah
- Description
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Chinkapin is a monoecious multi-stemmed, thicket-forming shrub or small tree with spreading lower branches and ascending upper branches. If grown as a tree in can reach 15-30 feet tall. It is resistant to the chestnut blight and can usually recover if infected. It can be found from the coast to 4500 feet elevation in the mountains.
Chinkapin nuts are palatable to humans as well as wildlife. They have a sweet flavor and are eaten by many birds and mammals. They can be difficult to harvest and are not grown commercially. Its wood is light, hard, close-grained, and strong. It is used for fence posts and fuel although it is not timbered because of its small stature and scattered occurrence.
This tree prefers dry, acidic to neutral, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. Use as a small shade tree or to provide food for yourself and wildlife in a lawn or naturalized area.
Insects, Diseases, or 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:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Castanea
- Species:
- pumila
- Family:
- Fagaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood used for fence posts, railway ties, and fuel
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central & E. U.S.A
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV
- Fire Risk Rating:
- medium 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 are edible
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- 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:
- 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:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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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 fruit is a spiny 1-1.5 inch bur that houses a single chestnut brown, shiny nut. Its fruits mature in autumn and winter.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Both male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers are borne in the leaf axils (the upper angle between a leaf stalk or branch and the stem or trunk from which it is growing), elongated, yellow to white, clustered, and have a strong odor. The female flowers are rounder with a diameter up to 1 inch. Blooms from May to July.
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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:
- The leaves of the Chinkapin are alternate, simple, short-stemmed, prominently veined, oblong with fine pointed teeth or bristles, 3 to 5 inches long and 1.5-2 inches wide. They 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 Buds:
- Scaly
- 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
- Naturalized Area
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Design Feature:
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Heat
- Problems:
- Messy
