Chestnut

Description

Overall view of Chestnut tree in open field.

The genus Castanea (Chestnut) has 7 to 12 species native to Asia, Europe and North America. In the 20th Century, the North American species was decimated by the fungus Endothia parasitica. All species of Castanea look alike microscopically. American Chestnut’s original (pre-blight) distribution was from Maine west to Michigan and into the southeast U.S. Most of the trees grew in lower New England and the Appalachians. American Chestnut grew to a height of 120 ft, with diameters of over 6 feet. The thin sapwood of American Chestnut is off-white, and the heartwood is light brown, darkening with age. The wood of American Chestnut is coarse, medium in strength, light weight, with medium hardness and shrinkage. Chestnut works well with most tools for most applications and is rated as very resistant to decay. It was used for barrel staves, boxes, caskets, core stock for plywood, crates, fuel wood, furniture, lumber, mine timbers, poles, pulpwood, railroad ties, shingles, and tannin extract.

Close up view of a chestnut tree branch with fruit.

Tech Sheet

https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/chestnut-oak

Other Common Names

American Chestnut is also known as; chestnut, prickly O-heh-yah-bur, sweet chestnut, white chestnut, and wormy chestnut.

Characteristics

Characteristics found in the Chestnut (Castanea spp.):

  • Ring Porous
  • Dendritic latewood
  • Simple perforations
  • I/V pits linear
  • Rays Uniseriate
  • Crystals in axial parenchyma
  • Latewood Vessels thin-walled and angular, like those in the White Oak Group

Slides (Click on each image to view a larger image)

WOOD SLIDES

Microscope image of transverse view of Chestnut wood with arrows identifying earlywood and latewood vessel, and the growth ring boundary.
Microscope slide of Chestnut wood.
Microscope slide of Chestnut wood with arrows pointing to uniseriate rays.
Microscope slide of tangential section of chestnut wood with arrows pointing to uniseriate rays and axial parenchyma.
Microscope image of radial section of Chestnut wood with arrows pointing to square ray cells and procumbent ray cells.

CHARCOAL SLIDES

Microscope slide of radial section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows identifying location of the rays.
Microscope slide of radial section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows identifying location of the rays, fibers, and vessels.
Microscope slide of radial section of chestnut charcoal with arrows pointing to the rays.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows pointing to vessels and uniseriate type rays.
Microscope slide of tangential section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows pointing to unseriate rays and vessel at greater magnification.
Microscope slide of transverse section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows pointing to rays and vessels.
Microscope slide of transverse section of Chestnut charcoal under greater magnification with arrows pointing to rays and vessels. An arrow points to an oval void created from pyrolysis.
Microscope slide of transverse section of Chestnut charcoal with arrows identifying the earlywood, latewood, and the growth ring boundary.