Sweet Chestnut is a native of the Mediterranean and first introduced and grown in the UK by the Romans , who used the fruits to make a porridge, called pollenta in Latin, which is still consumed but only in the poorer regions of southern Europe. It grows well on light and acidic soils and hates chalky, heavy soiled environments but is also a drought resistant tree. Sweet chestnuts are a major food crop in regions where they are grown and are usually not eaten raw but used baked, boiled, roasted or in confectionary. Chestnuts have also been used to make flour and for animal feed. Compared to other nuts chestnuts are low in protein and especially low in fat.
| Name | Sweet chestnut |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Castanea sativa |
| Native | Native to the Mediterranean in south-eastern Europe to Caucasus in Asia Minor. |
| Common/English Name | Chestnut, Chestnut Tree, Edible Chestnut, European Chestnut, Italian Chestnut, Marron, Portuguese Chestnut, Spanish Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut. |
| Name in Other Languages | Vietnamese : Cây Hạt Dẻ Malaysia : Buah Berangan Afrikaans : Kastaiing Romanian : Castan Hungarian : Édes Gesztenye Portuguese : Castanheiro-Comum Bulgarian : Kecteh Russian : Kashtan Nastoiashchii Croatian : Kestenjaste Boje Finnish : Aito Kastanja Czech : Kaštanovník Jedlý French : Châtaigne Latvian : Kastanis Serbian : Kesten German : Cheschtene Brazil : Castanha Européia Greek : Kastania Slovašcina : Evropski Icelandic : Kastaníuhneta Slovencina : Gaštan Jedlý Norwegian : Edelkastanje Dutch : EuropeseKastanje Turkish : Kestane Ağacı Chinese : Ou Zhou Li Italian : Castagno Spanish : Castaña Japanese : Yooroppa Guri Danish : Ægte Kastanie Swedish : Äkta Kastanj Lithuanian : Kaštonas Polish : Kasztan Jadalny Eastonian : Harilik Kastanipuu Indonesia : Berangan |
| Plant Growth Habit | Medium to large, deciduous tree |
| Growing Climate | Mild cool climate Mediterranean or sub-temperate climate with good annual rainfall and adequate moisture |
| Soil | Deep well-drained, fertile, sandy or loamy soils. It is highly tolerant of acidic soils, gravelly or stony soils but intolerant of calcareous soils, heavy clays and impermeable soils. |
| Plant Size | 20–35 m (66–115 ft) tall |
| Lifespan | About 700 years |
| Root | Deep root system |
| Trunk | Often 2 m (7 ft.) in diameter. |
| Bark | Grey-purple and smooth, which develops vertical fissures with age |
| Branchlets | Tomentose |
| Leaf | Elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 14–28 cm long and 5–9 cm wide with 11–14 pairs of nerves more prominent on the under surface, The edge of the leaf is serrated bit like teeth on a saw, acuminate tip, oblique base, coriaceous, glabrous, pale green and puberulous on the under surfaces. The leaves when mature have a dark green color. Young leaves may have hairs on the lower surface. |
| Flower | 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. Male catkins are long and yellow and look a bit like hairy, golden caterpillars. Trees flower relatively late – June/July. Female flowers are green rosettes. Later in the year, a prickly, leathery casing forms containing the nuts. |
| Fruit | 1.3–2.5 cm in diameter, with each spiny cupule or burr consisting of 1–4 nuts. |
| Nuts Shape & Size | 2-3 shiny, roughly triangular nuts with a distinctive tuft on the end |
| Nuts Color | Brown to reddish-brown |
| Major Nutrition | Copper, Cu 0.418 mg (46.44%) Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 40.2 mg (44.67%) Carbohydrate 44.17 g (33.98%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.352 mg (27.08%) Manganese, Mn 0.336 mg (14.61%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 58 µg (14.50%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.144 mg (12.00%) Iron, Fe 0.94 mg (11.75%) Potassium, K 484 mg (10.30%) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 0.476 mg (9.52%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in (100 gm) | 196 K cal |