Characteristics of a Chestnut Tree

Size and Form

• In an environment free of the deadly fungus that now cuts chestnut trees down in their prime, the tree matured to between 60 and 100 feet, with the width often matching its height. While the form takes on a globular, spreading shape, the trunks of chestnut trees today rarely get the chance to exceed 4 inches, while formerly they were as wide as 4 feet. Now, the chestnut advances to sizes around 20 feet before the fungus, gaining access to the tree via various beetles that carry it on their bodies, starts to take hold.

Chestnut Leaves

• The foliage on a chestnut tree grows in an alternate pattern on the twigs. The leaves are elliptical or oblong, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Leaves measure between 6 inches and 10 inches long, with some as wide as 3 inches. Chestnut leaves feature easily recognizable teeth; they are narrow and point in a forward direction. The veins fan out from the center and run to the sides of the leaf. Colors in spring and summer are pale green, but the fall shades are yellowish and brown.

Chestnut Fruits

• A chestnut tree has both female and male flowers. Neither are of ornamental worth, but the males are much more noticeable, growing in catkin form to lengths between 4 and 8 inches. Some of the pollinated female flowers yield a spiny bur, up to 3 inches long. Inside is a flattened, shiny, brown edible nut, with as many as three encased in one bur. The nuts themselves are as long as ¾ of an inch. The spines on the burs grow to ½ inch long, making the fruit hard to handle. Luckily, they split apart in autumn, revealing the nuts inside.

More Chestnut Characteristics

• The twigs and leaf stems on an American chestnut have a fine covering of hairs. The bark of the chestnut tree is smooth -- and due to the chestnut blight, few trees reach an age where the bark becomes a landscaping asset. On the mature chestnut, the bark becomes dark gray, with prominent fissures and ridges. Look in the wild for new chestnut trees sprouting out from the stumps of deceased trees and the root systems of nearby chestnuts.