Chestnut Comparison Chart
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Chinkapin |
Japanese |
European |
Chinese |
Hybrids |
American |
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Leaf Taper to Stem |
Be aware that all chest nuts can cross-pollinate, so that the chestnut you are trying to identify may actually be a mix of two or more different types of chestnuts, known as a hybrid.
We can attempt to identify your chestnut if you re unable to do so by means of a leaf and twig sample.
Pleass press one or two fresh leaves between cardboard with a 4-6 inch twig. Do no use plastic unless it is perforated or the leaves will mold. Crushed and bent leaves will not be in good enough condition to positively analyze.
Mail to: TACF |
Taper to Stem |
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straight |
curved |
curved |
curved |
straight |
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Taper to Tip |
Taper to Tip |
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straight |
curved |
curved |
curved |
straight |
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Teeth |
Teeth |
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1-3 mm, small, sharp, no hook |
Tiny, often only bristles, no hook |
Big, sharp or rounded, no hook |
Large or small, not pronounced or hooked |
6mm, big, sharp, and often curved (hooked) |
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Underside |
Underside |
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Sun leaves hairy |
Many large dots (glands), sun leaves hairy |
Many small dots. Sun leaves hairy on some specimens but not others |
Sparse dots. Sun leaves hairy |
Many small dots. Sun leaves not hairy, long sparse hairs only on midrib. |
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Twig |
Twig |
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Hairy tips, purple |
Pink to light red, large white lenticels. |
Stout, dark, brown, small white lenticels |
Hairy tips, Tan to pea green. Large elliptical yellow lenticels |
Slender, smooth, hairless reddish brown, small white lenticels |
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Bud |
Bud |
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3mm, downy dark red, pointed, longer than whide, sticks out from stem |
Gloosy brown, As long as it is wide (rounded) |
Dark red, fat and globular |
Hairy, tan, dull brown to black rounded and flat aginst stem |
Long 6mm smooth, reddish brown, pointed, or longer than it is wide, sticks out from stem. |
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Nut |
Nut |
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1 nut, 1/2" tip pointed with a round cross section |
2-3 nuts, 1-2 in. |
2-3 nuts, 1-2 in. |
2-3 nuts, 3/4 - 2 in, rounded hairy tip, sunburst pattern uncommmon. |
2-3 nuts 1/2 - 1 in., pointed tip, top 1/3 to 2/3 downy, sunburst at base |
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Taste |
Taste |
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Sweet |
Not sweet |
Starchy |
Sweet |
Sweet |
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Resistance to blight |
Resistance |
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Slight |
Moderate |
Slight |
High |
None |
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