TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



tinged with green and ultimately dark brown. Winter-buds ovoid, acute, about \' long, 

 with thin dark chestnut-brown scales scarious on the margins. Bark from l'-2' thick, 

 dark brown and divided by shallow irregular often interrupted fissures into broad flat 

 ridges separating on the surface into small thin closely appressed scales. Wood light, soft, 

 not strong, liable to check and warp in drying, easily split, reddish brown, with thin lighter 

 colored sapwood of 3 or 4 layers of annual growth; largely used in the manufacture of cheap 

 furniture and in the interior finish of houses, for railway-ties, fence-posts, and rails. The 

 nuts, which are superior to those of the Old World chestnuts in sweetness were formerly 

 gathered in great quantities in the forest and sold in the markets of the eastern cities. 



Distribution. Southern Maine to Woodstock, Grafton County, New Hampshire (rare) 

 and to the valley of the Winooski River. Vermont, southern Ontario, and southern 

 Michigan, southward to Delaware and Ohio, southern Indiana, and southwestern Illinois 

 (Pulaski County) along the Appalachian Mountains up to altitudes of 4000 to northern 

 Georgia, and to western Florida (Crestview, Walton County) southeastern (Henry and 

 Dale Counties) and south central (Dallas County) Alabama, Northern, central and 

 southeastern Mississippi (Pearl River County), and to central Kentucky and Tennessee; 

 very common on the glacial drift of the northern states and, except at the north, mostly 

 confined to the Appalachian hills; attaining its greatest size in western North Carolina and 

 eastern Tennessee. 



Formerly sometimes planted in the eastern states as an ornamental and timber tree, 

 and for its nuts, of which several varieties have been recognized. 



X Castanea neglecta Dode with leaves intermediate between those of C. dentata and C. 

 pumila and an involucre "containing a single large nut occurs on the Blue Ridge near 

 Highlands, Macon County, North Carolina. 



2. Castanea pumila Mill. Chinquapin. 



Leaves oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, acute, coarsely serrate, with slender rigid spread- 

 ing or incurved teeth, gradually narrowed and usually unequal and rounded or cuneate at 



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base, when they unfold tinged with red and coated above with pale caducous tomentum 

 and below with thick snowy white tomentum, at maturity rather thick and firm in texture, 

 bright yellow-green on the upper surface, hoary or silvery pubescent on the lower, 3' -5' 

 long, l^'-2' wide; turning dull yellow in the autumn; petioles stout, pubescent, flattened 

 on the upper side, \'~V l n g> stipules light yellow-green, pubescent, those of the 2 lowest 

 leaves broad, ovate, acute, covered at apex by rufous tomentum, on later leaves ovate- 

 lanceolate, often oblique and acute, becoming linear at the end of the branch. Flowers: 



