126 



CHESTNUT. 

 Castanea dentata, (Marshall) Borkhausen. 



FORM A large tree usually attaining a height of 60-80 ft. with a diameter of 3-4 ft., but 

 may roach a height of over 100 ft. with a diameter of 10 feet. A tree with a diameter of 17 

 ft. has been recorded from Francis Cove, western North Carolina. Open grown trees have 

 short trunks with deep, widespreading crowns. Trees in close stands tall, with little stem 

 taper aiyl few lateral branches. 



BARK On old trunks fibrous, deeply fissured; fissures separate somewhat oblique ridges 

 which are covered wit'i dark brown scales. On young trunks and older branches much smoother. 

 See Fig. 82. 



TWIGS Stout, smootli, greenish to brown, round or angular, swollen at the nodes; covered 

 with numerous small, white, raised lenticels. Pith star-shaped. 



BUDS Alternate, axillary; terminal bud absent; ovoid, } of an inch long, sharp to blunt-pointed; 

 covered by 2-3 dark chestnut-brown scales. 



LEAVES Alternate, simple, oblong -lanceolate, sharp-pointed at apex, toothed on margin, 

 smooth on both lowtr and upper sides. 



LEAF-SCARS Semi-oval in outline; raised from twig; with numerous, rather inconspicuous, 

 scattered, occasionally clustered bundle-scars. 



FLOWERS Appear in June or July. Stamina te in crowded clusters along ament; pistillate 

 appear at base of upper aments as globular involucres. 



FRUIT Matures in September or October. A bur covered with numerous, prickly spines 

 and containing 1-5, usually 2-3 nuts. 



WOOD Distinctly ring-porous; with indistinct medullary rays; quite strong in young trees, 

 rather weak in older ones; yellowish-brown, very durable, splits easily, rich in tannic acid. 

 Weighs 28.07 Ibs. per cubic foot. Used for railroad ties, telegraph poles, fence posts, rails, 

 cheap furniture, and tacnic acid. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The Chestnut can readily be distinguished from all 

 other trees except the Chinquapin by its characteristic fruit. See "Distinguishing Characteristics," 

 under Chinquapin, page 127. For Genus Description and Key to Species, see page 125. 



RANGE Maine to Michigan, south to Delaware and along the mountains to Alabama, Mis- 

 sissippi, and Arkansas. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA Very common in the eastern, southern and central 

 parts and locally in other parts. It is the most common tree of Pennsylvania. 



HABITAT Grows almost on any kind of soil, from bottom lands to mountain tops, but 

 does not love limestone or extremely wet soil. In the North it is common on glacial drift 

 but in the South it remains close to mountains and reaches its best development in 'western 

 North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES This species, which reproduces itself best by sprout, but 

 &lso by seed and seedling, is one of the most important commercial species in this State. 

 It has shown itself to be the surest of all our trees to reproduce a stand fully from sprout. 

 It grows fast and is usec 1 for many purposes in small as well as large sizes, and thus can be 

 managed in short rotation, which insures a certain profit on the investment. A Chestnut 

 forest managed for tl>e purpose of producing telegraph poles should be run on rotations of 

 about 55 years. On poor soil it may be necessary to increase the length of the rotation. Good 

 tendance reduces the. length of the rotation while the absence of it will not only increase 

 the length but also result in an inferior grade of wood. The great variety of uses to which 

 the wcod of this species is put will drain the existing forest to an enormous extent. There 

 is urgent need to reproduce, develop, and improve our existing stands and also to guard 

 against such destructive organic enemies s the Chestnut Bark Disease (Endothia gyrosa var. 

 parasitica) commonly known as the Chestnut Blight. 



