Hi All:
I have what I think is a Japanese Chestnut, but am not positive. The majoring of the nut pods have 3 nuts, but most are not full size. They sort of seem shriveled up. But every dozen or so, I'll get a very large chestnut.
Any ideas?
Safe to eat the shriveled up smaller nuts?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/74032/IMG_2008~0.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1697487507)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/74032/IMG_2005~0.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1697487506)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/74032/IMG_2004~0.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1697487505)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/74032/IMG_2001.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1697487503)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/74032/IMG_2002.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1697487173)
I'm curious if someone can ID your tree. I'm waiting to hear the verdict on the feds deciding if they will approve the genetically modified chestnut trees. I would like to plant some.
Japanese or Chinese Chestnut. Hard to really tell.
I would say Chinese. the small under developed nuts are from poor pollination. It takes 2 to tango, another chestnut within a few hundred yards to fertilize the momma tree.
I have a chestnut on my property that looks very similar, nuts are the same, too. I always assumed it was a hybrid. The researching I did online suggested 3-nuts = hybrid. Never did try eating them, squirrels get there first!
There's a plot of them nearby, looks like someone planted an acre or two about 50 years ago (based on their size), which jives w/ the die-off and re-planting efforts stateside. After the blight some folks made efforts to re-introduce the hybrid species. The one I have was clearly planted as an ornamental, but I have not seen any others nearby. I _do_ have beehives, and they do visit that tree when it is in bloom, so... had me wondering about the poor-pollination comment by
@pesaventoc , could be my problem as there is no known donor nearby.