The Chinese Chestnut

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Castanea mollissima (板栗) is a species of chestnut native to China, Taiwan, and Korea.  It is a deciduous tree growing up to 20 m tall with a broad crown.  The fruit is a densely spiny cupule 4-8 cm diameter, containing 1-3 glossy brown nuts.  The Chinese chestnut tree is naturally an understory tree.  The nuts are edible and the tree has been cultivated in East Asia for millennia.  We have these chestnuts for sale.  View our store.

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was destroyed in the early 20th century by two serious fungus diseases, blight and phytophthora root rot (ink disease).  Chestnut blight was first reported at New York City in 1904. It spread rapidly and eventually killed all the American chestnuts in its natural range in the eastern United States. Sprouts may continue to come up from the base of the killed trees, and sometimes these sprouts bear crops of nuts. However, they are usually killed before they reach a height of 6 m. (20 ft.).  Asiatic species of chestnut are resistant to both these diseases.

For market production, Chinese chestnuts are grown in orchards in designs similar to other nut and fruit trees, like almonds and apples.  The trees are planted in a regular array, with spacing between trees that optimizes pollination by the wind (and some insects), while allowing the tree crowns to grow wide and tall, and thus produce highest yield on each tree.  The spacing also allows for efficient operation of equipment for harvesting and orchard hygiene.