Chinese chestnut
Castanea mollissima
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size40 to 60 feet tall40 to 60 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Rounded
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellowish-white
- Foliage color
- Cream/tan, green
- Fall color
- Yes
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Notes
Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is a tree for food gardens, specimen planting, and shade. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist soil of most types. It grows fast into a rounded tree with fragrant, yellowish-white flowers and fall color. It also tolerates drought. Deer tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Scarlet oak, Christmas fern, and Joe-pyeweed.
Native range
Korea and China from Beijing to Yunnan.