Chestnuts

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Chestnuts
Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), illustration

Sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa ), illustration

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden I
Order : Beech-like (Fagales)
Family : Beech family (Fagaceae)
Subfamily : Quercoideae
Genre : Chestnuts
Scientific name
Castanea
Mill.

The chestnuts ( Castanea ) or sweet chestnuts are a genus of plants in the beech family (Fagaceae). The genus is distributed with about twelve tree and shrub species in the northern temperate zone. In Europe only the sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa ) is native.

Horse chestnuts ( Aesculus ) are a genus that differs from chestnuts and belongs to the soap tree family (Sapindaceae). The partial name correspondence is based on the superficial similarity of the fruits with the fruit cluster of the chestnuts ( brown core in a prickly shell ) and not on a botanical relationship.

description

The chestnuts are trees or bushes . The bark is furrowed and oak-like. The branching takes place sympodially : the terminal bud of each branch dies, the growth takes over a side bud. The buds are surrounded by three to four bud scales.

leaves

American chestnut catkins ( Castanea dentata )
American chestnut branch and fruits ( Castanea dentata )

The leaves are alternate , on the side branches they appear to be in two lines. The leaf shape is elongated-elliptical to broadly lanceolate, the tip of the leaf is usually pointed or pointed. The numerous adrenal nerves run parallel. They are sunk at the top and protruding at the bottom. The leaf margin is serrated, the teeth often have a prickly point. Stipules are present. The chestnuts are deciduous, the autumn color is yellow-orange.

Inflorescences and flowers

All species are single sexed ( monoecious ), that is, female and male flowers are present on one plant specimen.

The male flowers are in head-like partial inflorescences on long, upright catkins . They have a simple perianth of a six-divided perianth . The outside is often densely hairy, but can also be almost bald. The 10 to 12 stamens have long stamens. The anther are small, have two counters and open with a longitudinal slot. In the center of the flower sits a stamp -Rudiment.

The female flowers are sessile and usually stand in threes in a prickly involucre . These are located at the base of male kittens. As with the male flowers, the perianth is six-part and hairy on the outside. The ovary is four to sevenfold, underneath and bare on the outside. The 4 to 10 styles are needle-shaped, hairy at the base and have pointed scars .

fruit

The nuts are large and brown. They are round or plano-convex in shape and have a noticeable scar at the base. One to seven, usually three nuts are in the spiky fruit cup (cupula), which has developed from the involucre. The spines of the pod are hairy.

Systematics and distribution

The genus Castanea was established by Philip Miller in 1754 . A synonym for Castanea Mill. Is Castanophorum Neck.

The genus Castanea is common in the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere . The disjoint area consists of three sub-areas: some species occur in eastern North America; the sweet chestnut is in the Mediterranean and the areas bordering it to the north; the other species native to East Asia (especially China and Japan).

Section Eucastanon : Chinese chestnut ( Castanea mollissima )
Section Eucastanon : Castanea seguinii

The genus Castanea is divided into two sections. Depending on the author, the genus Castanea contains eight to twelve species:

The species also form hybrids with each other, which are also grown commercially:

  • Castanea × neglecta Dode = Castanea dentata × Castanea pumila : It occurs in the eastern United States.

Paleobotany

Chestnut-like inflorescences are known from the mid- Eocene of Tennessee; Chestnut-like wood is quite common in the Eocene and Miocene . The leaves of Castaneopyllum (formerly the genus Dryophyllum ) are simple, narrow-lanceolate leaves up to 28 centimeters long. The lateral nerves end at the leaf margin. This type of leaf is considered by some authors to be the original for the family.

use

Chestnuts harvest 2016 (in tons)
country Harvest (tons)
China ( Castanea mollissima ) 1,879,031
South Korea ( Castanea crenata ) 56,244
Turkey ( sweet chestnut ) 64,750
Italy (sweet chestnut) 50.889
Portugal ( Castanea crenata ) 26,780
Japan ( Castanea crenata ) 16,500
Greece (sweet chestnut) 31,557
France (sweet chestnut, partly hybrids) 8,642
Spain (sweet chestnut) 16,185
North Korea ( Castanea crenata ) 12,540
Chile 3,009

The three types of sweet chestnut, Japanese and Chinese chestnut are grown as nuts . Your wood is also used; that of the sweet chestnut is weather-resistant even without preservation. Some species, including the shrub-like ones, are grown as ornamental plants.

Cultural history

Certain chestnuts are revered as sacred trees, such as the Castaño Santo in the Sierra de las Nieves in Andalusia.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Castanea. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs 1993, ISBN 0-13-651589-4 , pp. 767 f.
  3. ↑ to FAO statistics faostat.fao.org (accessed 17 June 2008), main type of Henri Breisch: Châtaignes et marrons. Center technique interprofessionnel des fruits et légumes, Paris 1995, ISBN 2-87911-050-5 , p. 12.

further reading

  • Joey Shaw, J. Hill Craddock, Meagan A. Binkley: Phylogeny and Phylogeography of North American Castanea Mill. (Fagaceae) Using cpDNA Suggests Gene Sharing in the Southern Appalachians (Castanea Mill., Fagaceae). In: Castanea. 77, No. 2, 2012, ISSN  0008-7475 , doi: 10.2179 / 11-033 , pp. 186-211.

Web links

Commons : Chestnuts ( Castanea )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files