Fagaceae > Castanea (chestnut) |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
MTS Trail near Blue Ridge Parkway, Buncombe Co., NC
9 June 2009Formerly a dominant tree of eastern U.S. forests, now large trees are very rare. Most mature American Chestnut trees have been killed by the tragic accidental introduction of Chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) from Asia. |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
MTS Trail near Blue Ridge Parkway, Buncombe Co., NC
9 June 2009Most individuals survive only as stump sprouts throughout the NC mountains and sporadically in the piedmont. The blight hits them when they get bigger. |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
MTS Trail near Blue Ridge Parkway, Buncombe Co., NC
9 June 2009Leaves are fairly large and have long, distinct teeth. |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Jackson Co., NC
14 May 2006Young foliage may have a reddish tinge. |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Buncombe Co., NC
8 July 2006It's very rare to find large trees such as this one. |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Buncombe Co., NC
8 July 2006Nuts are produced in spiny-shelled husks, which are very sharp! |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
MTS Trail near Blue Ridge Parkway, Buncombe Co., NC
9 June 2009Young stem |
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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Buncombe Co., NC
8 July 2006Bark shows fissures and flat ridges on older trees. This individual is one of the few trees over 40 feet tall that still remain in NC. |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013This tree is a native chestnut to the southeastern US and is much more resistant to the blight that has decimated American Chestnut populations. |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013Leaves are coursely and strongly toothed, although less so than American Chestnut. Each tooth is associated with a secondary vein and vice versa. Leaves average smaller and fuzzier than American Chestnut (Castanea dentata). |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013Fall bud and twig detail. |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013Twigs and leaf undersides are fuzzy/hairy. |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013Bark detail of medium tree. |
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Chinkapin, American Chinquapin, Allegheny Chinquapin, Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Edge of dry mixed forest in Orange Co., NC
17 Nov 2013Uncommon small tree statewide in North Carolina. Fall color is an attractive golden yellow. |
Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.