Science
Related: About this forumAny botanists around?
I have a question for someone who might be an expert on trees.
Some 70 years or so ago my grandfather removed some young chestnut trees from the family property in rural Pike County, KY and transplanted them on some property he purchased in SE Ohio along the Ohio River. Now I'm wondering if these trees may be among the few surviving American chestnuts that were nearly decimated by a blight many years ago. The reason I'm asking is that there is a project underway to reintroduce the American Chesnut in Appalachia and scientists have been asking for original specimens to be crossed with the Chinese Chestnut, which is resistant to the blight.
How do I know if these old trees are the American Chestnut? What am I looking for?
Thanks for any help.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,029 posts)See what it tells you as to solid identification methods.
good luck!
elleng
(131,262 posts)but that's exciting! Good luck! Had chestnut in front hall, pocket doors, and stairway, in old house we bought, and it was spectacular.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,926 posts)enough
(13,266 posts)Including info on where to send samples from your tree depending on where you live, and how and when to gather the samples.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)The people doing the replanting would love to see them.
So would I. I run across small trees growing from old stumps and it saddens me to think of what once was, being that 30% of the forests here were once Chestnuts.
The leaves are dark green, with deeply dentated margins and on each tip is a small point.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)From the information and links you provided I think I can pretty well state that the old chestnuts on the property are Chinese, not American. But to be sure I'm going to ask my sis to go out there and collect a few samples for analysis.
I'm basing my wholly unscientific conclusion from my memory of the size of the chestnuts and the bur. Needless to say I would be quite disappointed to find the trees are not the old American Chestnut but I thought it was worth a shot, considering their age and where they came from.