chestnut tree trees have stood lofty in our landscape painting since Roman multiplication . They provide sustenance for both wildlife and us humans , producing comestible nuts and pollen - fill flowers that many wildlife species simply adore !

Many of us know of the sweet chestnut tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and the horse chestnut tree , but few could name a case of chestnut tree beyond this .

So , in this web log mail , we ’ll explore the 11 types of chestnut tree diagram , from the well - known sweet and American chestnut to the more unusual variety show , like the Seguin chestnut and Ozark chincapin .

11 Types of Chestnut Trees

1. Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

When we think of sweet chestnuts , many of us are right away transported to Christmas . These beautiful , deciduous trees produce the sweet , larder nuts that we be intimate to roast and use up at Christmas .

Sweet chestnut tree were first introduced in the UK by the Romans and have been a favourite in gardens , parks , woods , and copses ever since . These tree can hold up for 700 years and maturate up to 35 m tall , making them an first-class decorative addition to a large garden .

These trees carry a significant office when it comes to wildlife , providing a valuable source of pollen and ambrosia for bees and other pollinating insects , and red squirrels simply sleep with the testis ! Many moth species also feed on the nuts and foliage .

Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

2. Japanese Chestnut (Castanea crenata)

The Japanese chestnut is a much small chestnut tree variety that typically grow to around 9 m magniloquent . However , do n’t let this allow for you disinterested , as this is the consummate tree diagram for a small or average - sized garden where blank is limited .

This tree is known for its disease resistance , especially to plague fungus , a permeating problem that vote out many chestnut trees . It has also benefit much popularity for its nuts , which are continue in a thick , unripe - brown husk called a “ bur . ” These screwball are particularly pop in Japan for their haywire , gratifying taste , and are often used in both mellifluous and savoury dish .

3. Dwarf Chestnut Tree (Castanea pumila)

The dwarf chestnut tree gets its name from its uncharacteristically small height for a chestnut tree . But do n’t let that fool you – it still fend tall at up to 9 m high and 6 m full .

The dwarf chestnut Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is the choice option if you want a specimen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for a garden of any size of it . you could use it to create a funny place for a bench or vacillation or over your lawn to keep your furry champion coolheaded in blistering weather !

Indigenous people have been consume dwarf chestnut for centuries . But they ’re not the only one who enjoy the midget chestnut ’s odoriferous nuts . In its native area – easterly and cardinal United States – bluejays , opossums , squirrels , chipmunk , pileated pecker , red - headed peckerwood , and white - tailed cervid also feast on all this tree has to give !

Japanese Chestnut (Castanea crenata)

4. American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)

For a long metre , the American chestnut tree was know as the grandiloquent , fastest - growing , and big Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in US forests , with around four billion of them in sum in the US alone . Due to these valuable qualities , the American chestnut tree quickly became a staple in US gardens and rural landscape painting .

It was also exceedingly pop for its Natalie Wood , which is straight - grained and resistant to waste . Originally , people thought that it was an exceptional pick for building materials , fence , and piece of furniture , so they used it in abundance .

Unfortunately , in the 1800s , the blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica took hold and decimate the highly susceptible American chestnut . Despite this , the American chestnut tree is n’t nonextant .   Blight fungus is unable to kill its root scheme as it is outcompeted by the microorganisms in the soil . However , American chestnut are no longer wide turn .

Dwarf Chestnut Tree (Castanea pumila)

5. Chinese Chestnut Tree (Castanea mollissima)

In stark dividing line to the American chestnut is the Chinese chestnut Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . This tree is petite compared to the American chestnut tree , growing 12 chiliad in height . However , this quality improves the Formosan chestnut tree ’s versatility , as its size makes it the idealistic ornamental Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for pocket-sized or average - sized gardens .

The Formosan chestnut tree also has the advantage of fruit ahead of time . Many chestnut tree , such as the sweet and American chestnuts , do n’t produce nuts for 20 years or more . But the Chinese chestnut produces nuts as early on as four years after planting , so it ’s the near choice if you want delicious chestnuts speedily !

6. Dunstan Chestnut (Castanea dentata X mollissima)

The Dunstan chestnut is a hybrid of the American and Taiwanese chestnut Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and , as a outcome , possesses some of the characteristics of both .

It grow many big , sweet - tasting nuts each twelvemonth after only 3 - 5 years of being planted – this is much early than its parent works . The nuts are far small than both those produced by its parent plant and are say to taste better .

The Dunstan chestnut tree shares its American parent ’s fast - growing quality . But luckily , it has taken the Chinese chestnut tree ’s blight immunity , making it much hardier and , therefore , easy to grow .

American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)

7. Henry’s Chestnut (Castanea henryi)

Henry ’s chestnut tree , also known as the bone chestnut tree , originates from central and southeast China and is widely domesticate in these regions .

It is nearly related to the Chinese chestnut but has many distinctive characteristics that make it unique . For example , it has long - narrow , shaft - shaped leaves with prominent serration on the edges . Its nut are also smaller than other chestnut tree species .

This tree diagram was give its name to observe Dr Augustine Henry , an Irish doctor and plant scientist who made many significant contributions to the field of plants in China in the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries .

Chinese Chestnut Tree (Castanea mollissima)

8. Ozark Chinkapin (Castanea ozarkensis)

The Ozark chinquapin is aboriginal to the US and is most usually find in the Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains in Louisiana , Texas , Arkansas , Missouri , and Oklahoma .

Historically , the Ozark chinkapin was treasured for its nuts , which provide food for other colonist , indigenous people , and many modest mammals like chipmunks , eastern grey squirrels , turkey , white - trail cervid , and bobwhite quail .

alas , like the American chestnut tree , this tree is susceptible to chestnut blight and has been largely wiped out in America . Now , you ’ll typically only regain it growing as a   bush or small-scale tree .

Dunstan Chestnut (Castanea dentata X mollissima)

9. Chinknut (Castanea x neglecta)

Chinknut is a deciduous tree native to the southeastern United States . It ’s a hybrid between the American Chestnut and Dwarf Chestnut trees , taking the latter ’s growth habit . It get to around 4 m marvelous and 4 m wide and does so at a slow tempo !

If you want to originate the chinknut in your garden , here are some thing to bonk : it does n’t matter whether the ground it ride in is arenaceous , loamy , or clay - found , but this tree command good drainage to survive . It can also handle nutrient - poor grease and drought , making it a cracking , hardy option for a UK garden .

10. Seguin Chestnut (Castanea seguinii)

The Seguin chestnut tree is a medium - sized tree that rarely exceeds 12 chiliad in peak . It has a duad of distinctive characteristics that set it aside from other chestnut varieties . For starters , its nuts are modest , fitting three to a burr . second , some Seguin chestnuts are ever - flowering .

What does this signify ? Put just , the Seguin chestnut tree continues to bloom throughout the summertime , causing its en to mature for a long time over autumn .

The Seguin chestnut tree is not a well - cognise variety and is n’t grown commercially , so you ’ll probably only find it in its native region , south - central and southeast China .

Henry’s Chestnut (Castanea henryi)

11. Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

Equus caballus chestnuts are a blast from many of our pasts , as conkers were a traditional biz many of us in the UK played as kid . I still remember threading a conker onto a art object of train and charter it in turn with my sister to hit each other ’s conkers until they give .

Besides childhood games , you may have also found conkers lie around your house , as one-time folklore state of matter that conkers repel spiders . However , unfortunately , there is little scientific grounds to back this up .

You ’re probably wondering why the horse chestnut was so far down this lean . But here ’s a fun fact for you : sawbuck chestnuts are n’t in the chestnut kin at all . Instead , they ’re from the soapberry family , along with maples and lychee . This make them a turn of an intruder on this list .

Ozark Chinkapin (Castanea ozarkensis)

However , they just had to have a citation ! After all , who does n’t have it away a Equus caballus chestnut tree diagram ?

Summary

chestnut tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree get along in an array of sizes , constitute some well become to UK gardens than others . While the American chestnut grows to lofty heights , it ’s also susceptible to blight fungus , fork over it much useless in UK garden . However , the small dwarf , Nipponese and Chinese chestnut make the utter addition to a typical small or medium - sized outside outer space .

If you ’re looking to corrode the fruits of your labor , though , the sweet chestnut tree is your prime option . With a dulcet , fruity taste that reminds many of us of Christmas , this tree will bring a feeling of nostalgia to any garden .

If you enjoy this and want to pick up more about trees that produce tasty treats , you ’ll eff our blog post,50 Different Types of Fruit Trees .

Chinknut (Castanea x neglecta)

FAQs

What are the different types of chestnut trees?

The most common types of chestnut trees are the sweet chestnut , American chestnut tree , Nipponese chestnut tree , dwarf chestnut tree , and Chinese chestnut tree . The lesser - recognize chestnut Tree include Henry ’s chestnut tree , Ozark chinkapin , and the hybrid trees : Dunstan chestnut and the chinknut .

Despite popular opinion , the horse chestnut tree is not a appendage of the chestnut home , but alternatively the soapberry kinsfolk , along with litchee and maple .

What kind of chestnut tree do I have?

Sweet chestnuts and horse chestnut both produce brown nuts . However , sweet chestnut are pointed at the summit , whereas horse chestnut are rounded and smooth – they have no tip .

How do I identify a European chestnut tree?

you’re able to identify a European chestnut from its leaves , bark , flowers , and en . European chestnut have extremely distinguishable toothed leaves with salient serrations along the edges . The parting have an elongated shape with a rounded stand , and the leaf bow is long and thin .

The nuts from the European chestnut tree diagram are around 1 – 2 in in diameter and are attack in embodiment but have a flattened bottom and pointed crown . These tend to be large than other chestnut tree tree nuts , like the American chestnut .

What kind of chestnuts are not edible?

perfumed chestnuts are comestible . horse cavalry chestnuts , on the other script , are poisonous and will get digestive upset if you rust them , include nausea , sickness , tummy pain , and a scratchy throat .

The crackpot from other chestnut tree trees may be eatable . However , it ’s important to take circumspection – some of the hybrids and wild salmagundi of chestnut are toxic , so only eat up a chestnut tree if you ’re sure it ’s secure to do so .

What is the best chestnut variety?

The good and most wide grow chestnut tree is the honeyed chestnut tree . This is known for its large , flavourful freak , which we unremarkably roast and eat at Christmas time . It ’s also loved for its length of service , living for up to 700 years , and its lofty height of 35 meter .

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Seguin Chestnut (Castanea seguinii)

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Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)