Chinese Chestnut
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

40-60' tall & wide. Low-branched. Habit is rounded to broad-rounded with age Growth rate is slow to medium.

Native Range

Native to northern China and to Korea. Introduced in 1853 and 1903.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers creamy white/pale yellow, monoecious, unpleasant odor. Male flowers erect, cylindrical catkins Female flowers 3/cluster on lower part of the upper staminate catkins, in 4-8" panicles in June. Plant in pairs or groups for best pollination. Fruits, w/ prickly burs/slender spines (a prickly involucre), rounded, w/ 1-4, 0.75-1.5" edible nuts inside the 3" fruit. Some may start producing nuts within 3-5 years after planting.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-8" long, 2-3.5" wide, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate at the tip, with many triangular teeth at the margin. Leaves emerge reddish, becoming shiny and dark green above, but whitish tomentose or light green and pubescent beneath, w/ a hairy 0.25-0.5" petiole. Fall color is yellow/bronze and long-lasting. Young stems pubescent w/ long hairs, olive-brown w/ prominent lenticels & star-shaped pith. Cherry-like 2-3 yr.-old stems. Older bark ridged/furrowed, gray-brown to brown.

Culture and Care

A tough, durable tree. Heat and drought tolerant. Prefers well-drained, acid soil and full sun. Zones 4-8. Susceptible to twig cankers, weevils and galls. Is resistant, but not immune, to the dreaded chestnut blight fungus disease.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 3-season interest: Spring, summer, and fall.

Suggested Uses

This species, or its hybrids, are utilized as replacements for the American Chestnut for edible nut production or as a wildlife/conservation food source.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA