FNPS Plant Database

Castanea pumila

Ashe's chinquapin, trailing chinquapin
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Ashe's chinquapin, trailing chinquapin

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Castanea pumila

Family:

Fagaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

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

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

deciduous. Inconspicuous blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in fall. Life span <50 yrs.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Aroma/Showy Fruitsagrance, Fall Color, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Natural settings as a small shade tree or large shrub.

Considerations:

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

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□

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

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

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:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Mammals

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

Nuts are consumed by birds and other wildlife. 

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:

Loading Florida counties…

Comments:

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.



 

Citations:

Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


North Carolina State Extension. (Undated). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. ( https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ ). North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, NC.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2025. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update