dwarf chestnut
Castanea pumila
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size15 to 30 feet tall10 to 20 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Dwarf chestnut (Castanea pumila) is a shrub for woodland gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to moist, sandy or loamy soil. It forms thickets and can grow as a single or multi-trunked plant. Glossy, dark green leaves turn yellowish or purple in fall. Long, pale yellow flower spikes give way to nuts in prickly husks, and birds and butterflies visit it.
Pairs well with Post oak, Sourwood, Adam's needle, and Christmas fern.
Native range
AL, AR, DC, DE, and 20 more places. See all 24
AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV.