Chestnut

Classification Kingdom: Plante Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopisda Order: Fagales Family: Fagaceae Genus: Castanea dentate (Marsh.)

Borkh. Species: Chestnut

Shape, Form, Type~The Chestnut can grow to be 100 feet tall

~The form is relatively symmetrical and has an abstract round shape to it

Figure 1

Bark~The Chestnut has bark possessing broad, flat, irregular ridges

~The color for most Chestnuts is light brown color, but in dense forests the color is lighter due to lack of sunlight on the lower bark. Figure 2

Twig & Bud~The twig of a Chestnut can be orange-brown in color, and is has a hairless texture.

~The twigs resemble a kernel of wheat and grow just off center of leaf scars

~The buds of a Chestnut are almost the same color as the tree’s twig.

~They grow all along the twig and in clusters at the tip

Figure 3

Leaf

~Chestnut leaves are short-stemmed, veined, oblong and have course to fine pointed teeth or bristles.

~The leaves alternate and are simple

Figure 4

Flower & Fruit

~The flowers are most commonly white or yellow-green

~Appear in late spring to early summer

~The Chestnut produces dark brown fruits sharp spines along the outside

Figure 6

Figure 5

Habitat & Range~The Chestnut grows in the Eastern United States and throughout the Appalachian Mountains

~It grows at a slow rate, taking long periods of time to reach it’s full height

~Differing from the other trees in the beech family in that they do no grow as frequently along the eastern coast

Figure 7

Uses The Chestnut is used for making

furniture, interior fishing, and fuel

The fruits are also edible and in some areas considered delicacies

Work Cited: Text1. 2010. Dave’s Garden. Date Retrieved: 6/24/2010http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58152/2. 2010. Chattooga Conservancy. Date Retrieved: 6/24/2010http://www.chattoogariver.org/index.php?req=chestnut&quart=W20023. 2010. VirginiaTech. Date Retrieved: 6/24/2010http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=214. 2010. Chestnut anyone?. Date Retrieved: 6/24/2010http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/dorman_step/5. 2010. The American Chestnut Foundation. Date Retrieved:

6/24/2010http://www.acf.org/history.php6. 1996. Forest Trees of Illinois by Illinois Department of Natural

Resources Division of Forest Recourses. Page 96. Date Retrieved: 6/24/2010

Work Cited: ImagesFigure 1: Chestnut shapehttp://20prospect.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/northbound-by-sunset/Figure 2: Chestnut barkhttp://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/plants/fagaceae.htmFigure 3: Chestnut twig and budshttp://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Castanea+dentata Figure 4: Chestnut leafhttp://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/cade.html Figure 5: Chestnut flower http://www2.volstate.edu/JSchibig/summer2004.htm Figure 6: Chestnut fruithttp://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/plants/fagaceae.htmFigure 7: Chestnut range http://www.ppws.vt.edu/griffin/accfhab.html