SCIENTIFIC NAME: Castanea mollissima

COMMON NAME: Chinese chestnut

LEAVES: Alternate and oblong, with a wavy margin. Small bristle tip serration at the end of each vein. The leaves are paper thin. Up to 10" long. Coarse textured tree.

FRUIT: Prickly bur outer husk that only the brave attack. Do not step on it bare footed. Great to eat fruit once you get to them. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

FLOWERS: Long catkins held upright in the spring.

BARK: Has deep ridges.

OTHER: Fruit has a prickly outer cover. Used in the landscape instead of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) because it is resistant to chestnut blight. A member of the Fagaceae family. Grows about 40' tall.