Chinese chestnut Fagaceae Castanea mollissima Blume   symbol: CAMO83
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, oblong, 5 to 8 inches long, coarsely serrated (but not as strongly toothed as American chestnut), shiny green above and paler and fuzzy below. Flower: Monoecious; male flowers are small and white, borne in long (4 to 5 inches) slender catkins; female flowers are borne on short aments, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, appearing in early summer. Males flowers are strongly smelling. Fruit: Large spiny (very sharp) bur 2 to 3 inches in diameter, each contains 2 to 3 edible nuts, 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, shiny brown, typically flattened on 1 to 2 sides, ripen in late summer. Twig: Moderately stout, tan to olive-brown with prominent lenticels, gray fuzzy; buds are gray-brown and pubescent, offset from leaf scar, covered with 2 to 3 overlapping scales. Bark: Gray-brown to brown, furrowed, but without distinguishable patterns. Form: A small tree with low branching and a rounded crown, reaching up to 40 feet tall.
	USDA Plants Database Castanea mollissima is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and may seed into the landscape. See a map of the states in which Chinese chestnut has escaped (opens a new window).