Description
Chinese Chestnut Tree (Castanea mollissima) trees are native to Asia and were brought here to replace or to hybridize with the American chestnut. The Chinese chestnuts, these will survive the blight, as far as I know there has not yet been any American chestnut that in the long run has survived where the blight is prevalent.
Chinese chestnut matures at about 35′, my 20 year old trees are approaching 20′ and are producing heavily. The trees tend to bush out rather than grow upright when grown with ample room in full sunlight. The leaves are simple, serrated, alternate, about 4-6″ long, 2-3″ wide and similar to American but shorter. The leaf top is dark green, underleaf is pale and somewhat hairy. The fall color is a copper, bronze look similar to beech and the leaves hang on the tree for quite a while.
The flowers are produced in catkins, attractive, fragrant, yellow to pale white, in a panicle in late June. The fruit is encapsulated in a very prickly ball that splits when mature (late September here in Northern Michigan). The nuts are a deep brown with some cream color near the tips, very edible. We like to collect the nuts, rinse them and microwave them for a few seconds which helps peel the skin off. We then eat them raw. Chinese chestnut trees prefer good soil, well drained, acidic, loamy soil. Once established can withstand moderate drought. Careful pruning as one would for fruit trees will help prevent splitting of the branched where forked or it can be trained to one trunk.
The blight will affect these trees but not in a serious way. Twig canker, powdery mildew and leaf spot are moderate problems.
The flowers can be considered a bit stinky to some! My niece and my daughter bought an RV resort in southern Michigan called Forest Haven. It has a Chinese Chestnut orchard of at least 100 trees and at bloom time I find the smell quite stinky but the flowers are pretty.
Scientific Name: Castanea mollissima
Zone: 4-8 Click here to find your growing zone.
Mature Height: 40-60 ft
Mature Width: 40-60 ft
Growth Rate: Rapid
Soil: Sand, loam, or clay, well-drained soil
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Part Shade
Fall Color: Copper, bronze
