Tree ID please

[Greg]

I came across this tree yesterday, I think it's a type of chestnut but not sure?
Does anyone know what it is and is it edible?

 

[Billy-o]

chestnut, yes. american chestnut ... possibly

got any more pictures of the whole tree? if it is just a young tree, from the pic, it could be any of them ... sweet, chinese etc

 

[Broch]

It does look like sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) - the leaves are a bit long but they do vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, the fruits rarely grow to a size worth harvesting in the UK although I have spent days gathering them and preparing them in the past (when I lived down south).

 

[Lacedaemonius]

Sweet Chestnut?

 

[Greg]

That's the only pic I have

 

[Greg]

It does look like sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) - the leaves are a bit long but they do vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, the fruits rarely grow to a size worth harvesting in the UK although I have spent days gathering them and preparing them in the past (when I lived down south).

Edible then?

 

[Broch]

Edible then?

Yes.

 

[Greg]

Yes.

Cheers Brock

 

[punkrockcaveman]

It does look like sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) - the leaves are a bit long but they do vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, the fruits rarely grow to a size worth harvesting in the UK although I have spent days gathering them and preparing them in the past (when I lived down south).

Is this why I never see any decent size nuts from them? All I have harvested are anaemic almost flat nuts from them. I take it they need warmer/brighter climate

 

[Broch]

Is this why I never see any decent size nuts from them? All I have harvested are anaemic almost flat nuts from them. I take it they need warmer/brighter climate

Yep, they're really a Mediterranean species.

 

[dwardo]

The crop from mature trees is very much worth foraging. My favorite local place is Eastham Woods on the Wirral so not just a southern thing.

 

[Broch]

The crop from mature trees is very much worth foraging. My favorite local place is Eastham Woods on the Wirral so not just a southern thing.

Coincidently, I found a row of mature sweet chestnuts in an old part of a forest a few miles from us here in Mid Wales only last week - the fruits were far from ripe though and didn't look like they would be much bigger than Beech nuts when they are

 

[demographic]

If it is the chesnuts are seriously spikey, far more so than Horse Chesnuts.

Sweet chesnuts have leaves in singles but horse chesnuts have than in a bunch like a gekkos hand with fat finger ends.