Japanese Chestnut

Growth habit

Tree

Perennation

Perennial

Location

Cornell Class of 1938 Native Maple Slope

Source of plant

Sandra Anagnostakis

Description

Spreading, short trunked tree to 20m, often less. Young shoots scaly to denslely downy. Leaves 7-18x3-5cm, oblong, glabrous above, grey downy beneath, base rounded or cordate, apex short-pointed, margin crenate to serrate, teeth numerous small aristate; petiole 1-1.5cm. Fruit a globose burr with dense slender spines, 4-8cm diameter, nuts 1-4, 2-3cm, to 3.5-4cm on selected clones.(DS 350) "In 1876, the S.B. Parsons Co. in Flushing, NY imported a few trees from Japan through Thomas Hogg, who spent several years in Japan collecting many rare kinds of trees and shrubs. The chestnus were planted on Parsons' property in Stamford, CT, and given to his friends, and the trees fruited 2 years later. They soon attracted attention because of the large size and excellent quality of the nuts. Mr. Parsons marketed these trees and their seedlings as Japan Chestnut until Andrew s. Fuller (in his treatise on nut culture in 1896) proposed calling it 'Parson's Japan'....There are two of these Parsons' Japan chestnut trees still growing in CT: one is behind the Congregational Church in Cheshire and one is in front of the Bee and Thistle in Old Lyme....We have no information on the people who planted the Bee and Thistle tree. The Old Lyme Inn, across the street from the Bee and Thistle, has Japanese chestnuts that look like the 'Japan Giant' sold by Ellwanger and Barry (Mt. Hope Nurseries) in Rochester, NY, and these provide pollen for the Bee and Thistle Tree." (DS 731)

USDA Hardiness Zone

4

Special characteristics

food