Castanea pumila
chinkapin, allegheny chinkapin, northern catalpa, allegheny chinquapin, allegheny-chinkapin, chinquapin
Family
Fagaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
oblong, elliptic, lanceolate, obovate
Growth Form
shrub, tree
Flower Color
inconspicuous
Flower Month
March - October
Height (meters)
2.0 - 5.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Field Characters
Small tree with coarsely serrate leaves with distinct teeth. Its fruit is a spiny burr enclosing acorn-like nut. It is in the same genus as American chestnut and similar, but leaves are larger and less hairy. Castanea alnifolia is found on the coastal plain and intergrades with C. pumila confusing recognition.
Habitat
Dry or moist acid soils.