Chestnut Comparison Chart
| Chinkapin | Japanese | Chinese | European | American | Hybrids | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Leaf taper to stem | straight | curved | curved | curved | straight | Be aware that all chestnuts can cross-pollinate, so that the chestnut you are trying to identify may actually be a mix of two or more different types of chestnuts, known as a hybrid. We can attempt to identify your chestnut, if you are unable to do so, by means of a leaf and twig sample. Visit the chestnut identification page for more information |
| Leaf taper to tip | straight | curved | curved | curved | straight | |
| Teeth | 1-3 mm, small, sharp, no hook | tiny, often only bristles, no hook | large or small, not pronounced or hooked | big, sharp or rounded, no hook | 6 mm, big, sharp, and often curved (hooked) | |
| Underside | sun leaves hairy | many large dots (glands), sun leaves hairy | sparse dots, sun leaves hairy | many small dots, sun leaves hairy on some specimens but not others | many small dots, sun leaves not hairy, long sparse hairs only on midrib | |
| Twig | hair tips, purple | pink to light red, large white lenticels | hairy tips, tan to pea green, large elliptical yellow lenticels | stout, dark brown, small white lenticels | slender, smooth, hairless, reddish brown, small white lenticels | |
| Bud | 3 mm, downy dark red, pointed, longer than wide, sticks out from stem | glossy brown, as long as it is wide (rounded) | hairy, tan, dull brown to black, rounded and flat against stem | dark red, fat and globular | long 6 mm, smooth, reddish brown, pointed or longer than it is wide, sticks out from stem | |
| Nut | 1 nut, 1/2 tip pointed with a round cross section | 2-3 nuts, 1-2 in. | 2-3 nuts, 3/4-2 in., rounded hairy tip, sunburst pattern | 2-3 nuts, 1-2 in. | 2-3 nuts, 1/2-1 in., pointed tip, top 1/3-2/3 downy, sunburst at base |
|
| Taste | sweet | not sweet | sweet | starchy | sweet | |
| Blight resistance | slight | moderate | high | slight | none |