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American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) trees once grew in forests from Michigan to Mississippi, New York to Illinois. Early in the 20th century, an incurable blight decimated American chestnut trees and now there are precious few of them left.

Which is unfortunate, because they were magnificent. The creamy-yellow, fragrant flowers of the American Chestnut appeared in June and July. The nuts ripened and dropped after the first frost. Those nuts were much smaller and more flavorful than those of the Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima).

However, the Asian species resisted the blight. So scientists began working to cross-breed the two species, with the goal of producing a blight-tolerant chestnut tree that kept the best qualities of the American species. You can now purchase some of those hybrids.

To learn more about the American Chestnut, visit: