Common Name: Chinese Chestnut
Latin Name: Castanea mellissima
Address: 9th St. NE at East Jefferson St.
GPS Coordinates: 38.030640, -78.474297
For centuries, American chestnut trees were an iconic part of the forests of eastern North America. An estimated four billion American chestnut trees once blanketed the eastern United States. These magnificent trees could reach heights of 100 feet, with trunks up to nine feet in circumference.
For early Americans, the chestnut was an important resource. The nuts were roasted, ground into flour for cakes and bread, stewed into puddings, and dried for storage. The leaves were used medicinally, while the durable wood was used to build cabins and other structures. Chestnuts were also an important fall food source for wildlife. Whitetail deer particularly favored chestnuts over acorns.
The American chestnut’s remarkable story changed dramatically in 1904, when chestnut trees were discovered dying from an unknown disease. Investigators eventually identified the cause as chestnut blight, a fungal disease that produces cankers in the bark and interferes with the tree’s ability to transport sap. Large trees often died within just two years of becoming infected. Over the following decades, chestnut blight devastated the American chestnut, effectively eliminating it as a major commercial forest tree.
Native to China, the Chinese Chestnut has evolved a high degree of resistance to chestnut blight. Although Chinese Chestnuts are not completely immune, infected trees typically suffer considerably less damage than susceptible American chestnuts.
The Chinese Chestnut is a medium-sized deciduous flowering tree commonly found in forests, woodlands, and on mountain slopes. Its individual flowers are not particularly showy, but a tree in full bloom can be quite striking. Long, light-yellow catkins appear in abundance and contrast beautifully with the tree’s glossy green foliage. The flowers can have a strong odor that some people find unpleasant. Drive down East Jefferson in early summer to see these two Chinese Chestnuts in bloom.
A mature Chinese Chestnut can reach approximately 40 feet in height and spread, developing a rounded, symmetrical crown. It branches relatively close to the ground, making it an attractive landscape tree. The chestnuts themselves are edible and provide food for wildlife as well. However, the prickly burs surrounding the nuts can make them challenging—and painful—to handle, so care should be taken when collecting them.
The American Chestnut Foundation and other researchers have been working to develop ways to restore this once-dominant tree to eastern forests. One important approach has been to combine the blight resistance of Chinese Chestnuts with the desirable characteristics of the American chestnut. The goal is to produce hybrid trees that can withstand chestnut blight while retaining the size, form, timber qualities, and ecological characteristics that made the American chestnut such an important part of eastern forests.