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Chinese Chestnut—Castanea mollissima

Chinese Chestnut

Castanea mollissima

  • Sweet-Flavored Nut
  • Highly Resistant to Chestnut Blight
  • Handsome Spreading Landscape Tree
  • Plant Multiple Trees to Ensure Pollination
  • Grows 40' to 60' high with 50' Spread
  • Zones 4 to 8
  • Can't Ship To: AK, AZ, CA, FL, HI, LA, OR, WA, MI
Guaranteed Healthy Delivery
Item # 3443 | Shipping Height: 2' - 3'
*Mem. Price:$5.98
Reg. Price:$9.00
Quantity:

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Zones 4 - 8
Zones 4 - 8

Hardiness Zones: Zones 4 - 8
The Chinese Chestnut can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

nut tree
nut tree

Type of tree:
The Chinese Chestnut falls into the following type(s): Nut Trees

40' - 60' High
40' - 60' High

Mature Height:
The Chinese Chestnut grows to be 40' - 60' feet in height.

40' - 60' Spread
40' - 60' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Chinese Chestnut has a spread of about 40' - 60' at full maturity.

Slow to Medium Growth
Slow to Medium Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a slow to medium growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun
Full Sun

Sun:
This chestnut does well in full sun.

Various Soils
Various Soils

Soil:
The Chinese Chestnut grows in acidic, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, sandy, well drained, clay soils.

Rounded Shape
Rounded Shape

Shape:
This chestnut has rounded shape.

More Info
More Info

Attributes:
The Chinese chestnut is highly resistant to chestnut blight. The sweet tasting nuts are delicate roasted and famous in turkey stuffing. A handsome spreading landscape tree, it provides dense shade. As a timber tree, chestnut wood is very durable and rot resistant.

Wildlife Value:
Chinese chestnut is valuable for human consumption and a valuable wildlife food.

Leaves:
Simple, alternate, 3"-5" long, dark green, glossy on top, toothed at margins.

Flower Color:
Pale yellow or cream

Bloom Time:
Early summer.

Fruit Description:
A prickly 2"-3 1/2" seed husk encloses 1-4 chestnut brown colored 3/4"-1 1/2" nuts. The nuts are large, meaty, crisp, and sweet although less sweet than American chestnut. Harvest in mid-late September to October.

A nut tree and a shade tree. Sweet-flavored nuts. Prefers acid, well-drained loamy soil. Does well in hot, dry climates. Blight resistant. Grows to 40' to 60', 50' spread. (Plant two trees to ensure pollination) (zones 4-8)

Arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map
Spring Shipping Fall Shipping
Color Zone Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline 		Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline
  2 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  3 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  4 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  5 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  6 03/19–05/12 05/07 11/01–12/03 11/19
  7 03/11–05/07 04/30 11/05–12/10 11/26
  8 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  9 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  10 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, CA, FL, HI, LA, MI, OR, WA , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

  Standard Dwarf
  Mature
Height		 Space
Needed		 Mature
Height		 Space
Needed
Apple 20' - 25' 35' x 35'

10' **

 10' x 10' ++
Peach 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry 30' 20' x 25' 12' - 15' 10' x 10'
Sour Cherry 20' 20' x 20' 8' 10' x 10'
Pear 20' 20' x 20' 12' - 15' 12' x 12'
Apricot 20' 20' x 20'    
Plum 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
      ** semi-dwarf 12' - 15'
++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

  • They are very affordable.
  • Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
  • They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.


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