Thanks Chris Chmiel for these pics from the Cevennes region of France. I wish we had a bigger chestnut industry in the US. May have to start one? 🤔 I remember being enthralled in 2007 at Mountain Gardens when I read about the massive chestnut orchard/forests on Corsica (see J. Russell Smith’s “Tree Crops), and have wanted to be part of a chestnut growers’ cooperative ever since. The Savanna Institute (of which I am a supporter) is really pushing for chestnut orchards in the Midwest as a land-regenerating staple crop that can make farmers a good living on small acreage. Empire Chestnut in Carrollton, OH is a good example of this, and has inspired some of their neighbors to grow chestnuts as well and work as a grower cooperative. Chestnut weevils and gall wasps present barriers to organic producers. (Personal Communications)

This tree attains a height of 20–35 m (66–115 ft) with a trunk often 2 m (7 ft) in diameter. The bark often has a net-shaped (retiform) pattern with deep furrows or fissures running spirally in both directions up the trunk. The oblong-lanceolate, boldly toothed leaves are 16–28 cm (6–11 in) long and 5–9 cm (2–4 in) broad.

The flowers of both sexes are borne in 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long, upright catkins, the male flowers in the upper part and female flowers in the lower part. In the northern hemisphere, they appear in late June to July, and by autumn, the female flowers develop into spiny cupules containing 3-7 brownish nuts that are shed during October. The female flowers eventually form a spiky sheath that deters predators from the seed. Some cultivars (‘Marron de Lyon’, ‘Paragon’ and some hybrids) produce only one large nut per cupule, rather than the usual two to four nuts of edible, though smaller, size.

The tree requires a mild climate and adequate moisture for good growth and a good nut harvest. Its year-growth (but not the rest of the tree) is sensitive to late spring and early autumn frosts, and is intolerant of lime. Under forest conditions, it will tolerate moderate shade well. It can live to more than 2,000 years of age in natural conditions, see the poetically-named “hundred-horse chestnut” in eastern Sicily for example.

The leaves provide food for some animals, including Lepidoptera such as the case-bearermoth Coleophora anatipennella and rose chafer Macrodactylus subspinosus.

C. Sativa is found across the Mediterranean region, from the Caspian Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is thought to have survived in several refuges during the last ice age in southern Europe, Northeast Turkey and the Caucasus. It then spread North and West throughout mainland Europe, and is thought to have arrived in Italy from Asia Minor with the Greeks.

The species is widely cultivated for its edible seeds (also called nuts) and for its wood.

They are used for flour, bread making, a cereal substitute, coffee substitute, a thickener in soups and other cookery uses, as well as for fattening stock. A sugar can be extracted from them.[5] The Corsican variety of polenta (called pulenta) is made with sweet chestnut flour. A local variety of Corsican beer also uses chestnuts.

As early as Roman times, it was introduced into more northerly regions, and later was also cultivated in monastery gardens by monks. Today, centuries-old specimens may be found in Great Britain and the whole of central, western and southern Europe. Roman soldiers were given chestnut porridge before going into battle.

Leaf infusions are used in respiratory diseases and are a popular remedy for whooping cough. A hair shampoo can be made from infusing leaves and fruit husks.

The tree was a popular choice for landscaping in England, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. C. sativa was probably introduced to the region during the Roman occupation, and many ancient examples are recorded. More recently, the tree has occasionally been planted as a street tree in England, and examples can be seen particularly in the London Boroughs of Islington and Camden.

A tree grown from seed may take 20 years or more before it bears fruits, but a grafted cultivar such as ‘Marron de Lyon’ or ‘Paragon’ may start production within five years of being planted. Both cultivars bear fruits with a single large kernel, rather than the usual two to four smaller kernels.

The ornamental cultivar C. sativa ‘Albomarginata’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Sweet chestnut has been listed as one of the 38 substances used to prepare Bach flower remedies.

(Wikipedia)