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  5. Chestnut Tree Identification

Chestnut Tree Identification

Vintage drawing of chestnut tree leaves and fruit

Vintage drawing of chestnut tree leaves and fruit

Some may be surprised to learn that the Horse Chestnut is not really a chestnut. They are actually a member of a completely different family, Hippocastanaceae, which contains horse chestnuts and buckeyes.

By browsing the following sites, one will also find that there are at least five different species of chestnuts that can be found in the eastern United States, but there are several other species and subspecies that can be found worldwide.

Web sites on Chestnut Identification

TACF - Identifying Chestnut trees
Which Chestnut Species is It?

PDF document, 3.6 MB

A series of PDFs put together by long-time PA-TACF member and PA Chapter identification expert, Dave Armstrong.

Identifying Chestnut trees in the woods (Spring)
ACCF Guide to Identifying American Chestnut
Cultivars of Chestnut (by CAES)
Herbarium Collection Scans

Digitized images of the Castanea collection at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. This is a project in cooperation with the Carolinas Chapter of TACF. Link courtesy of Dr. Paul Sisco.

Chestnut Fact Sheets (CAES)
Identification of Chestnut (Castanea) Species - Dichotomous Key

by R.H. Zander of the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

NNGA - Types of Nut Trees (Chestnut)

Chestnut Growers

  • Chestnut Growers Overview
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      • Minutes
    • Restoration of American Chestnut to Forest Lands
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