Castanea sativa
Castanea sativa
Plant Images
OneSeed Image
Description
Castanea sativa, commonly known as the sweet chestnut or the Spanish chestnut, is a deciduous hardwood tree native to Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world.
Growing Details
Sweet chestnut trees are generally monoecious, bearing both male and female flowers on the same tree. The male flowers are large, 2.5โ4 cm long, borne in 10โ20 cm long catkins; the female flowers are much smaller, borne on 1โ2 cm long catkins. The fruit is a spiny cupule 5โ9 cm in diameter, containing two to three large nuts. The nuts develop during late summer and fall, and ripen 7โ8 weeks after pollination. The sweet chestnut is a diploid species, with 22 chromosomes, and is self-incompatible. The tree reaches 20โ35 m tall and 1 m trunk diameter when mature, on average. Large trees can attain 46 m height and 1.75 m diameter.
Tags
Keystone Specie
Hedge
Carbon Farming
Attracts Wildlife
Fire Wood
Building Wood
Windbreak
Erosion Preventing
Bee Friendly
Visual Appeal
Range (Based on GBIF Data)
The map shows known occurrence points of <strong>Castanea sativa</strong> recorded in scientific biodiversity databases.
Source: <a href="https://www.gbif.org" target="_blank">GBIF.org</a> โ Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Location & Timing
native geo location: S Europe, Asia Minor
applicable geo region: Temperate zones
language used: english
Flowering:
beginning
of July for 30 days
Harvest:
middle
of October for 30 days
Seed Start:
beginning
of October
Indoor Start:
Transplant:
Uses & Benefits
Edible Rating:
(5/5)
edible uses: The sweet chestnut is the source of the chestnut of the horse-chestnut family Aesculus, from which the large sweet edible nuts of the beech family Fagaceae are also sometimes called chestnuts. The sweet chestnut should not be confused with the horse-chestnut, water chestnut or Chinese chestnut.
Medicinal Rating:
(2/5)
medicinal uses:
health concerns:
other uses: The wood is light, hard, strong and close-grained; it is pale brown, but when cut it is of a yellowish tinge. The sapwood is thin, while the heartwood is very resistant to decay. It weighs 45โ65 lb per cubic foot. Sweet chestnut is used for furniture, interior joinery, flooring, fence posts, railway sleepers and vine posts. It is also a popular firewood, as it burns long and hot. It is also used in charcoal production. Sweet chestnut is a traditional material for the manufacture of cudgels and walking sticks, and can also be used for turnery and carving.
Scientific Literature
Loading scientific articles about <strong>Castanea sativa</strong>...
Botanical data
specie: Castanea sativa
common names: Pitomi kesten
family: Fagaceae
sub family: Fagoideae
tribe: Castaneae
sub tribe: Castaneinae
genus: Castanea
Growing Conditions
area needed: 10.0 m
spacing: 5.0 m
growing difficulty: Medium
Deciduous / Evergreen: Evergreen
Seed Temp (Opt/Min/Max): 20ยฐC / 10ยฐC / 30ยฐC
Plant Temp (Opt/Min/Max): 20ยฐC / -10ยฐC / 30ยฐC
water demands: Medium
humidity:
light demands: High
root type: Deep
frost tender: Low
hardness:
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
(5/10)
first harvest: 20 years
life span: 500 years
succession: Late
growth rate: Slow
max height: 30.0 m
max width: 15.0 m
soil preference:
pH preference:
flower type:
Monoecious
growth details: Sweet chestnut trees are generally monoecious, bearing both male and female flowers on the same tree. The male flowers are large, 2.5โ4 cm long, borne in 10โ20 cm long catkins; the female flowers are much smaller, borne on 1โ2 cm long catkins. The fruit is a spiny cupule 5โ9 cm in diameter, containing two to three large nuts. The nuts develop during late summer and fall, and ripen 7โ8 weeks after pollination. The sweet chestnut is a diploid species, with 22 chromosomes, and is self-incompatible. The tree reaches 20โ35 m tall and 1 m trunk diameter when mature, on average. Large trees can attain 46 m height and 1.75 m diameter.
Potential Disturbances: Sweet chestnut is challenged by diseases, particularly sweet chestnut blight caused by Cryphonectria parasitica, which has severely impacted populations.
Permanent Link
Scan this QR code for a permanent link to this plant:
Download QR Code
Loading comments...