Chestnut Identification
work in progess
If you’re new to American chestnuts (Castanea dentata), distinguishing that tree from some other tree can be confusing. Even for the experts, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish an American chestnut from its closest relatives - especially if they are hybrids. Hopefully the pointers below will make this determination a bit easier.
Here is an in-depth pdf on identifying chestnuts
American chestnut: The leaves are blade shaped (also pictured at page top) and have pointed, slightly bent serrations at the leaf edge. Leaf dimensions are 5.5-8 inches in length and 3-4 inches in width and are somewhat fragile compared with Chinese chestnut leaves. The burs contain 3 moderately sized nuts.
Trees that are commonly confused with American chestnuts:
Horse chestnut: Compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets. Seed pods contain a single seed. Not even distantly related to American chestnut - belongs to a different order of plants.
Japanese Chestnut:
Chinese left, American right
Chinese chestnut: Leaves are more blunted compared with American chestnut and are 4-8.5 inches long and 1.75 to 3.25 inches wide. Leaves are leathery with dark green glossy tops and lighter undersides. Branches have noticeable stipules in the early part of the growing season. Burs contain 3 large nuts.