Species Overview
Chestnuts  |
Chinkapins  |
Left photo: Top of leaves; Right photo: Underside of leaves
Top row: Allegheny chinkapin leaf;
Bottom row (from left): American, Chinese, European, and Japanese chestnut leaves.
From Left: American,Chinese, European, and Japanese twigs
American twig: pointed bud at 45 degree angle from stem; smooth, reddish stem
Chinese twig: rounded, hairy buds, large stipules (leaf-like coverings over the buds), large lenticels (white "bumps" on stem)
European twig: thick stem, large buds
Japanese twig: pale, pinkish stem
Left photo: From Top, Clockwise:
Allegheny chinkapin, European chestnut, Japanese chestnut, Chinese chestnut, and American chestnut burs
Note that the Chinese bur looks small, even though the nuts inside are large. This is because of their short, stubby spines.
Middle photo - Chestnuts: Chestnut burs have two sutures and
open into four valves (sections). There are up to three nuts per bur
Right photo - Chinkapins: Chinkapin burs have one suture and
open into two valves (sections). There is only a single nut per bur
Top and Side Views of Chestnuts
From Left: American, Chinese, Japanese, and European chestnuts.
Top: Chinkapin nuts: note the pointed end
Middle: American chestnuts: note the hairy surface
Bottom: Chinese chestnuts: note the rounded end
Chestnuts: Up to three nuts per bur |
Chinkapins: Only one nut per bur |