We have discovered only 8 of the true American chestnut (Castenea dentata) still growing in our region, introduced to California by Gillet beginning in 1882. This is the chestnut once famous as the predominant hardwood of the Eastern US, but wiped out by chestnut blight introduced from Asia in the early 1900s. Chestnut blight is not known to effect chestnuts in California due to the lack of summer humidity necessary for blight to grow. Our mother trees have never been damaged by blight. The American chestnut is a small nut of the sweetest flavor. When dried many people describe the flavor as maple syrup like. They are easy to peel. Commonly roasted, we prefer them for making porridge and drying for grinding into wonderful chestnut flour. Plant a bit of American history! These trees are grafted using the scion from the mother tree, grafted on chestnut seedlings.

Note: Chestnut trees are rarely self-fertile, although we have found that some fruit surprisingly well despite being isolated. To insure regular production, plant at least two chestnuts at your site to encourage cross pollination and higher productivity.