Common Name:

Ashe's chinquapin, trailing chinquapin

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Castanea pumila

Family:

Fagaceae

Form:

shrub

Size:

15-30 (40) ft tall by 15-20 (30) ft wide 

Life Span:

long-lived perennial; lifespan <50 yrs

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

deciduous; inconspicuous blooms in spring, with fruits ripening in fall

Noted For:

Recommended Uses:

Natural settings as a small shade tree or large shrub.

Considerations:

Burr-covered nuts can cause a problem in residential landscapes.

Availability:

Propagation:

seed

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A

Wildlife:

Nuts are consumed by birds and other wildlife. 

Larval host for orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria) which can cause significant defoliation.

Native Habitats:

Dry, open sandy woods, hammock edges, sandy roadsides, fence rows in sandy fields, dry bluffs, pine-oak-hickory woods, floodplains, calcareous river hammocks.

Natural Range in Florida:

Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants

Ethnobotany:

Native Americans ate the nuts.

General Comments:

While it is related to chestnuts, its not generally subject to chestnut blight, and if it gets it, will likely recover.