Sweet Chestnut

Castanea sativa

Probably introduced to Britain by the Romans who made flour from the nuts, Sweet Chestnut can grow to 30 metres in height. It has massive spreading branches. The bark has characteristic deep parallel ridges which arch sharply near ground level. At 25cm, the leaves are amongst the longest of any tree in Britain and are glossy green and toothed. The male and female flowers form on the same long, upright stalk, the female part being at the base. After pollination, the male flowers die but the stalk remains above the newly formed cluster of nuts. Surrounded by a spiky green case, the nuts only develop fully in good years in the UK.