Localities. — In woods, plantations, and hedges, mostly in the South and West 
of England ; a doubtful native. 
Tree. — Flowers in May. 
A stately and majestic tree; attaining, in favourable situations, 
the height of 60 or 80 feet. Bark with remarkably deep clefts. 
Branches widely spreading, round and smooth when young. Leaves 
alternate, on short petioles, elliptic-spear-shaped, sharp pointed, 
5 or 6 inches long, and 2 broad, smooth, with many transverse 
veins, ending in sharp, somewhat spinous-pointed, serratures ; of a 
rich shining green above, paler beneath. Sterile Catkins numer- 
ous, axillary, solitary, yellow, pendulous; from 4 to 6 or 7 inches 
Iona:, deciduous. Flowers ranged along the common stalk of the 
catkin, in lateral sessile tufts (see fig. 1). Stamens numerous, 
long, and spreading. — Fertile Flowers (see figs. 3 & 4.) much fewer 
than the sterile ones, and placed on terminal stalks, which are 
lengthened out as the fruit advances. Styles (see fig. 4.) about 6, 
with long, smooth, upright stigmas. Gartner detected about 
12 scarlet rudiments of stamens, among the wool at the base of the 
styles. JVuts (see fig. 6.) large, broadly egg-shaped, usually 2 ; 
fiat on the inner side, and each attached by a broad scar to the 
bottom of the greatly enlarged involucrum (see fig. 6.) the outside 
of which is copiously armed with complicated sharp prickles. See 
Sm. Engl. FI. 
The sweet Chestnut is by some considered to be indigenous in Britain ; but, 
notwithstanding the great age of some specimens, it appears, from the observa- 
tions of the Hon. Dains Barrington, and others, more than probable that they 
have all been planted. Mr. Loudon observes, that the wood of this tree has 
the remarkable property of being more durable when it is young than when it is 
old ; the sap or outer wood very soon changing into heart wood; and hence the 
great value of this tree for posts, fencing-poles, stakes, trellis-work, hoops, &c. 
( Encycl . of Tr. § Sh.) It was once very generally supposed, that the roofs of 
some of our Cathedrals, and many of the oldest buildings in London were con- 
structed of Chestnut, but it has been shown by Daueenton and others, that 
these ioofs and buildings are formed of the wood of the sessile-fruited Oak, 
( Quercus sessiliflora ,) which, when old, resembles the Chestnut. ( Cowell’s 
FI. Guide). The nuts constitute a great part of the food of the common people 
in the South of France and the North of Italy ; where they are used either roasted 
or boiled, and also ground into meal, and made into cakes, bread, and puddings. 
In England they are roasted, and served up as a dessert; they are said also 
formerly to have accompanied the wassail bowl in the celebration of Christmas 
festivals. These nuts are also used for whitening linen cloth, and for making 
starch. Deer ate fond of Chestnuts ; hence they are sometimes called Buck- 
mast. Some instances are recorded in which the Chestnut is said to have arrived 
at a most extraordinary size and age, such as the Castagno de cento cavalti, 
on Mount Etna, the trunk of which, according to the account given of it by 
Mr. Houei., is 160 feet in circumference. A figure of this tree may be seen in 
Burnett’s Outlines of Botany , v. i. p. 57. The oldest Chestnut tree in 
England is, 1 believe, in the garden of Lord Ducie, atToriworth, in Glouces- 
tershire ; the circumference of its trunk, in 1820, was 52 feet; and it is supposed 
to be more than 1000 years old. A portrait of this ancient tree, and also of a 
very old one at Cobham, Kent, is given in Mr. Loudon’s excellent woik, the 
Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum, at pages 1988 & 1989. 
The CtipuLiFERrE are apetalous, dicotyledonous Trees or Shrubs , with 
alternate, stipulate, simple, penninerve leaves ; and monoecious flowers. Sterile 
flowers amentaceous ; fertile ones aggregate or amentaceous. Ovaries seated 
within a coriaceous involucrum (capsule ) of various figure, and with several 
cells (see fig. 5.) and several ovules, the greater part of which are abortive. 
Ovules pendulous, either solitary or two together. Fruit a bony or coriaceous, 
1 -celled nut, more or less inclosed in the involucrum .—The British genera are, 
Fagus, t. 331. — Castanea, t. 485.— Quercus, t. 371. — Corylus, t. 338. — 
Carpinus, t. 234. 
