Handbook of Trees of the North kkn States and Canada. 135 



When growing in the forests the Chestnut 

 tree attains the height of 100 ft. with straight 

 columnar trunk 3 or 4 ft. in diameter vested 

 in a grayish brown shailow-ridged bark. It 

 is in the open fields, however, that it shows 

 best its noble form and proportions. Tliere it 

 develops a very large broad or rounded head 

 sometimes covering an area 100 ft. across witli 

 massive branches and short sturdy truid< 

 sometimes 8, 10 oi- cxcii li ft. in tliicktie-is. 

 Its long handsome leaxcs always <^i\e it a 

 peculiar charm, but its beauty is greatly eii 

 hanced in early suuuiier when it puts out its 

 great clusters of fragrant golden catkins. 

 These are succeeded in a few weeks by its 

 hardly less conspicuous pale green clusters of 

 fruit, tiie precious nature of which is indicated 

 by the forbidding barricade of sharp spines 

 which efTec'tually protects it until ripe, and 

 then, opening, cast it out to be eagerly coveted 

 i>y both man and beast. 



Chestnut wood, a cu. ft. of which when abso- 

 lutely dry weighs 28.07 lbs., is very durable 

 in contact with the soil and makes useful 

 lumber for many purposes. It is also rieli in 

 tannin, which is extracted and used for tan- 

 ning purposes.2 



Lea res oblong-lanceolate, fi-0 in. Ions, enneati'. 

 roundt^d or obtuse at base, piibe.seen*: at first, 

 ylalii-ous both sides and firm at maturity, dark 

 Kieen above, paler beneath ; petioles short, stout, 

 puberulous. Flowers: { .Tune-.Tuly ) : staminale 

 aments numerous. 8-6 in. long with stout tomen- 

 tose stems: androgynous aments 2V2-^ in. Ions. 

 Fruit nut %-l in. long, much compressed and 2-:> 

 together in each involucre which is glol)ose, about 

 2 in. in diameter, densely covered with pricl<les.' 



1. Syn. Caatanea vesca var. Americana MIchx. 



2. A. W., II, 40. 



3. For genua see p. 430. 



