American Chestnut Tree

(Castanea dentata)

Courtesy of www.courier-journal.com/localnews/                            Courtesy of www.oplin.lib.oh.us/products/tree/

2003/09/02ky/wir-front-tree0902- 11029                                             fact%20pages/chestnut/chestnut.html

                                                                                           Courtesy of http://ncnatural.com/NCNatural/trees/chestnut.html

Taxonomy:

Order: Fagales

Family: Fagaceae (Beech family)

Genus: Castanea

Species: dentata

Common Name: American Chestnut, Chestnut

Habitat: Has a high tolerance of shade and grows best in rocky well-drained, moist soils, on hillside or mountain slopes.

Diseases: First detected in New York in 1904. The Chestnut Blight Disease was believed to have been introduced by Chinese Chestnut Trees, which show some resistance towards this disease. There is no cure but the trees can last for 13-15 years before the infection sets in, but this is not enough time to allow the tree to produce flowers and fruit.               

Distribution: Once widespread through eastern North America, but has almost been eliminated  by the blight (Cryphonectria Parasitica). Not native to Iowa, but was planted there for its lumber and nut crop.

Identifying Characteristics: Medium to large tree 60'-100' tall, usually with a divided trunk and a broad, open crown with horizontal, wide spreading branches. 2'-4' in diameter. Presently this tree only grows to 25 feet.

Bark: Dark gray-brown, thick with broad flat ridges.

Leaves: Oblong, pointed, long, sharply toothed, 5-10" long, 2-3" wide. Veins are parallel and run to the tips of the teeth. Yellow-green and smooth. They turn yellow in autumn.

Twig: Hairless, brown, slender with several buds.

Flowers: In early summer, many small white male flowers at the base of the leaf.

Fruit: A large edible sweet nut that is inside a 2-4 section bur covered with sharp, long spines. It takes one year for nuts to mature and they fall after the first frost.

Uses: Wildlife~ The nuts were an important part in the diet of animals in the eastern U.S. Some include chipmunks, wild turkey, squirrels, and deer.

          Wood~ This is a soft, easy to split, and resistant to decay. Some uses are for furniture, poles, and caskets.

Facts~ This no longer exist in the wild

 This is a Chestnut tree that has been taken over by Blight~>     

                                                                                                                www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1436/

Distribution Of American Chestnut Trees