Sweet chestnut
Craobh Geanmchno
Sweet chestnut navigation
Castanea sativa
The Romans introduced sweet chestnut – botanical name Castanea sativa – into Britain to produce nuts which were ground up and made into polenta.
Most sweet chestnuts are imported as the British climate is too cold for them to ripen properly.
Facts and statistics
Here are some interesting facts about sweet chestnut.
450 years.
Up to 40 metres in height.
Some catkins have male and female flowers on the same stalk. The remains of the male catkin stay attached to the husk until it falls off.
The husk splits to release up to three nuts in the autumn.
The bark has long diagonal fissures.
Mediterranean and Anatolia.
The yellowish-brown timber is strong and good for joinery, cabinet making, coffin boards, and fencing. In the past, it was used for pit props.