| General Description | A very fast growing deciduous hardwood tree, however chestnut blight has become obsolete to this species. |
| ID Characteristic | Fruit a large bur, dense and spiny, the chestnut is edible. Long white catkins during flowering. |
| Shape | Large rounded canopy. |
| Pests | Chestnut blight, caused by an Asian bark fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) which is an airborne fungus spreading and killing millions of chestnut trees. |
| Notable Specimens | Skunks Misery, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. |
| Habitat | Forests in the Carolinian zone, including rare occurrences in Southern Ontario, Canada. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Young bark is smooth and dark brown, mature bark has flat-topped ridges. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Ovoid, 5 – 10 mm in length, greenish-brown in colour, with a couple hairless scales, and many vein scars. |
| Leaf Description | 15 to 30 cm long, alternate, simple. Gradually tapering to both ends. Straight veins with large bristle-tipped teeth. |
| Flower Description | Pollen flowers and seed flowers found on the same tree. Flowers appear in great masses of white coloured catkins on the larger trees. |
| Fruit Description | Edible nut, found in small clusters surrounded by a spiny bur like husk. Each nut ovoid is brownish, smooth and flat on one side, wrapped in tan velvet. |
| Colour Description | Yellowish-green. |
| Texture Description | Medium. |