Sweet Chestnut

Sweet Chestnut

Taxobox
name = Sweet Chestnut



image_width = 250px
image_caption = Sweet Chestnut fruit
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fagales
familia = Fagaceae
genus = "Castanea"
species = "C. sativa"
binomial = "Castanea sativa"
binomial_authority = Mill.

The Sweet Chestnut ("Castanea sativa", family Fagaceae), also known as the Spanish Chestnut, Portuguese Chestnut or European chestnut, is a species of chestnut originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree attaining a height of 20-35 m with a trunk often 2 m in diameter. The oblong-lanceolate, boldly toothed leaves are 16-28 cm long and 5-9 cm broad.

The flowers of both sexes are borne in 10-20 cm long, upright catkins, the male flowers in the upper part and female flowers in the lower part. 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. Some species ("Marron de Lyon, Paragon' and some hybrids) produce only 1 large nut, rather than the average 2 to 4 nuts of edible size.

The bark often has a net-shaped (retiform) pattern with deep furrows or fissures running spirally in both directions up the trunk.

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)“Plants For A Future” (PFAF http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Castanea+sativa and book.] is sensitive to late spring and early autumn frosts, and is intolerant of lime. Under forest conditions it will tolerate moderate shade well.

Uses

Sweet Chestnut is widely cultivated for its edible seeds, also called nuts. 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. They are widely popular in Turkey, Portugal, France, Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and particularly in Corsica.

The raw nuts, with their pithy skin around the seed, are somewhat astringent. That skin can be relatively easily removed by quickly blanching the nuts after having made a cross slit at the tufted end.http://hedgewizardsdiary.blogspot.com/2006/10/peeling-chestnuts-easy-way-chestnuts.html an easy way of peeling the pellicle, or pithy skin.] Once cooked they become delicious, developing, when roasted, a sweet flavour and floury texture not unlike sweet potato. The cooked nuts can be used by confectioners, puddings, desserts and cakes or eaten roasted. 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 it. The Corsican variety of polenta (called pulenta) is made with sweet chestnut flour. A local variety of Corsican beer also uses chestnuts. An easy way for peeling them is given here.

Leaves infusions are used in respiratory diseases and are a popular remedy for whooping cough. It is much used in homeopathy and in Bach remedies for which the key words are 'Extreme mental anguish', 'Hopelessness' and 'Despair'.P. M. Chancellor. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. 1985 ISBN 85207 002 0. Details the 38 remedies and their prescriptions.] A hair shampoo can be made from ifusing leaves and fruit husks.

This tree responds very well to coppicing, which was commonly practiced until fairly recently in Britain, and produces a good crop of tannin-rich wood every ten years or so. The tannin renders the young growing wood durable and resistant to outdoor use, thus very suitable for posts, fencing or stakes.Oleg Polunin. Trees and Bushes of Britain and Europe. Ed Paladin, 1973, pp. 51, 188 and 195).] The wood is of light colour, hard and strong. It is also used to make furniture, barrels (sometimes used to age balsamic vinegar), and roof beams notably in southern Europe (for example in houses of the Alpujarra, Spain, in southern France and elsewhere). Due to older wood's tendency to split and warp badly, and acquiring a certain brittleness, it is not frequently used in large pieces. It is also a very good fuel.

Tannin is found in the following proportions on a 10% moisture basis: bark (6.8%), wood (13.4%), seed husks (10 - 13%). The leaves also contain tannin.

A tree grown from seed may take twenty years or more before it bears fruits, but a grafted species such as "Marron de Lyon" or "Paragon" may start production within five years of being planted. Both the latter species bear fruits with a single large kernel, rather than an average of two to four smaller kernels.

Gallery

ee also

*American chestnut
*Chinese chestnut
*Recalcitrant seed

References

* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Castanea&SPECIES_XREF=sativa&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: "Castanea sativa"]
*Rushforth, K. (1999). "Trees of Britain and Europe". HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
*http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/006/AD235E/ad235e00.htm#Contents
*http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/pdf/chestnut_99.pdf


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • sweet chestnut — noun wild or cultivated throughout southern Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia • Syn: ↑European chestnut, ↑Spanish chestnut, ↑Castanea sativa • Hypernyms: ↑chestnut, ↑chestnut tree * * * ˌsweet ˈchestnut 7 [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • sweet chestnut — valgomasis kaštainis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Bukinių šeimos maistinis, medieninis, vaistinis augalas (Castanea sativa), vedantis valgomus riešutus. Paplitęs Afrikoje, Europoje ir Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Castanea sativa; Castanea… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • sweet chestnut — noun a) A type of deciduous tree native to Europe, Castanea sativa. b) The edible nuts of this tree …   Wiktionary

  • Chinese sweet chestnut — kininis kaštainis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Bukinių šeimos augalas (Castanea mollissima), vedantis valgomus riešutus. Paplitęs Azijoje rytuose ir pietryčiuose. atitikmenys: lot. Castanea bungeana; Castanea formosana; Castanea… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Chestnut (disambiguation) — Chestnut is a genus of deciduous tree and shrub species Castanea. The name also refers to the edible nut these trees produce. Chestnut (also chesnut) may also refer to: In architecture: Chestnut Lodge, historic building in Rockville, Maryland… …   Wikipedia

  • chestnut — ► NOUN 1) a glossy hard brown nut which develops within a bristly case and can be roasted and eaten. 2) (also sweet chestnut or Spanish chestnut) the large tree that produces these nuts. 3) a deep reddish brown colour. 4) a horse of a reddish… …   English terms dictionary

  • American sweet chestnut — noun large tree found from Maine to Alabama • Syn: ↑American chestnut, ↑Castanea dentata • Hypernyms: ↑chestnut, ↑chestnut tree • Member Holonyms: ↑Castanea, ↑genus Castanea …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chestnut — For other uses of chestnut , see Chestnut (disambiguation). For other uses of chinquapin or chinkapin , see Chinquapin (disambiguation). Chestnut Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa Scientific clas …   Wikipedia

  • chestnut tree — noun any of several attractive deciduous trees yellow brown in autumn; yield a hard wood and edible nuts in a prickly bur • Syn: ↑chestnut • Hypernyms: ↑tree • Hyponyms: ↑American chestnut, ↑American sweet chestnut, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • sweet — adj. & n. adj. 1 having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar. 2 smelling pleasant like roses or perfume etc.; fragrant. 3 (of sound etc.) melodious or harmonious. 4 a not salt, sour, or bitter. b fresh, with flavour unimpaired by rottenness …   Useful english dictionary

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