220 TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



and northern China and Japan. Four species are distinguished. Of the exotic species, 

 the European Castanea Castanea, Karsten, a tree frequently cultivated in Europe and 

 Japan for its large sweet seeds which are an important article of food in the countries 

 of southern Europe and in eastern Asia, has been occasionally planted in the middle 

 states. Of the American species two are trees, and one, Castanea alnifolia, Nutt, is a 

 low shrub. Castanea produces coarse-grained wood very durable in contact with the 

 soil, and rich in tannin. 



Castanea is the classical name of the Chestnut-tree. 



CONSPECTUS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ARBORESCENT SPECIES. 

 Leaves oblong-lanceolate, long-pointed, green and glabrous on both surfaces ; nuts 2 or 3 

 in each involucre, flattened. 1- C dentata (A, C). 



Leaves oblone, acute, silvery white and pubescent on the lower surface ; nut solitary, cylin- 

 drical. 2. C.pumila(A,C). 



1. Castanea dentata, Borkh. Chestnut. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute and long-pointed at the apex, gradually narrowed 

 and wedge-shaped at the base, when they unfold puberulous on the upper surface 

 and clothed on the lower with fine cobweb-like tomentum, at maturity thin, glabrous, 



dark dull yellow-green above, pale yellow-green below, 6'-8' long, about 2' wide, 

 with pale yellow midribs and primary veins, turning bright clear yellow late in the 

 autumn; their petioles stout, slightly angled, puberulous, ^' long, often flushed with 

 red ; stipules ovate-lanceolate, acute, yellow-green, puberulous, about \' long. Flow- 

 era : staminate aments about ^' long when they first appear, green below the middle 

 and red above, becoming when fully grown 6'-8' long, with stoiit green puberulous 

 stems covered from the base to the apex with crowded flower-clusters; androgynous 

 aments, slender, puberulous, 2^'-5' long, with 2 or 3 irregularly scattered involucres 

 of pistillate flowers near their base. Fruit: involucres attaining their full size by 

 the middle of August, 2'-2^' in diameter, sometimes a little longer than broad, some- 

 what flattened at the apex, glabrous and covered on the outer surface with crowded 

 fascicles of long slender glabrous much-branched spines, opening with the first 

 frost and gradually shedding their nuts; nuts usually much compressed, '-!' wide, 



