In a Nutshell:
* Once an important hardwood timber tree, the American chestnut is highly susceptible to chestnut blight, caused by an Asian bark fungus.
* A rapidly growing deciduous hardwood tree.
* These are the sweetest seeds of any species in this genus
* A delicious oil can be extracted from the seed by crushing the nuts, boiling them in water and then skimming off the oil as it comes to the surface. It can be used as a topping for various puddings. more...
* The American Chestnut is a prolific bearer of nuts , usually with three nuts enclosed in each spiny green burr.
* The total number of chestnut trees in eastern North America was estimated at over three billion, and 25% of the trees in the Appalachian Mountains were American chestnut.
* The chestnuts are in the beech family along with beech and oak, and are not closely related to the horse-chestnut, which is in the family Sapindaceae. more...
