Woody > Castanea > Castanea pumila > Castanea pumila
Castanea pumila
Dwarf Chestnut, Allegheny Chinquapin, Chinkapin
Origin: The Ca. pumila is native to the southeastern United States, from New Jersey to Florida and west to Texas.
Mike's
Opinion
"
This shrub is not suited to city use, as it cannot tolerate salt, is too low to be used as a street tree (although it can be pruned into a tree, it is too high-maintenance), and its flowers have an unpleasant odour. It is, however, an important tree in the United States, as it is native and important to the ecosystem.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Fagaceae |
| Genus |
| Castanea |
| Species |
| pumila |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous), Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 5 - 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 6a - 10a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1a - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-30) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-20) - 86 |
| Height |
| 2 - 6 m |
| Spread |
| 3.7 - 6 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| The C. pumila is a monecious, multi-stemmed shrub or tree. It is found only in the United States and has sweet edible nuts in the autumn. |
| Landscape |
| The Chinquapin is sometimes used as a landscaping plant, but this is uncommon due to the odour of the flowers and susceptibility to chestnut blight. Its fruit is edible and sweeter than the American chestnut, though they must be collected promptly before any animals reach it. It is sometimes used to restore disturbed habitats because it can adapt to harsh conditions and because it attracts wildlife (the fruit is a food source for many animals) |
| Cultivation |
| The C. pumila prefers full or partial sun and has a moderate growth rate. It is not shade or salt tolerant, but is heat tolerant, and does well in well-drained sandy or rocky soil with moderate pH levels (5.1-6.5). They are occasionally rhizomatous and form thickets. |
| Shape |
| Rounded, spreading form, though it can be pruned into a small tree. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| The C. pumila is identifiable by its fruits, which are chestnuts encased in spiky burrs, its long yellow catkins, and its glabrous serrate leaves. |
| Pests |
| This shrub is host to oak blight and while moderately resistant to chestnut blight (while it affects the tree, the tree is still able to produce adventitious growth and fruits). Many insects feed on the flowers, fruits, and foliage, such as Japanese beetles, weevils, and Pinkstripe Oakworm. |
| Habitat |
| C. pumila is found in sunny and rocky or sandy spaces such as: open woods, edges of woods, sandy ridges, borders of swamps, and sandy barrens. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The twigs of the Ca. pumila are densely tomentose (hairy) when young, as they mature, they become a shiny reddish-brown colour. The bark is smooth and light brown or grey. There are shallow furrows and scaly plates on the large stems. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The buds are grey-brown or red-brown, fuzzy, and have 3 overlapping bud scales. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves are simple and acute, and their shape ranges from elliptic to obovate. They have a coarsely toothed margin. The size ranges from 4-21 cm long and 1.5-8 cm wide. They are green and glabrous on the top, and lighter green and pubescent on the bottom, with palmate venation. |
| Flower Description |
| C. pumila is monecious and flowers from May-July. It produces yellow catkins that are 10-15 cm long and are wind pollinated. The male flowers have a strong odour, are borne on the catkins, and appear in May and June. The female flowers are smaller and rounded with a diameter of about 3 cm, and they appear later in the season at the base of the catkin. |
| Fruit Description |
| The fruit is encased in a small burr covered in spines (2.5-3.5 cm long), each burr contains a dark brown ovoid nut. The nut matures in the autumn and winter and is sweet and edible. The burrs often grow in clusters. |
| Colour Description |
| The foliage of the Ca. pumila is green, with a yellow autumn colour. The bark is light brown or grey, and the twigs are reddish-brown when mature. The nut is dark brown or chestnut brown, and the burr surrounding it is yellow-green. |
| Texture Description |
| The leaves are coarse textured and glabrous with pubescent undersides. The stems are tomentose when young, becoming smooth as they mature. The bark is smooth when young and coarse textured when mature. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America. |
| Propagation |
| The C. pumila is produced by seed. Directly after the spiny husks break open, collect the seed and plant it in autumn. It also produces adventitious growth, or suckers, which can be replanted to form a new shrub. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| The Cherokee tribe used the leaves medicinally to treat fevers, headaches, and chills, and the Koasati tribe used the roots to treat stomach aches. The wood is light and sturdy, so it is used for firewood and fences, but it is not used for timber, since it is too small and scattered. |
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