Castanea henryi Seeds | Henry’s Chestnut

Glossy brown Henry's Chestnut nuts, one large and one small, still in their spiny bur — Henry’s Chestnut (*Castanea henryi*): Fagaceae, native to the mixed forests of central and southern China.

LATIN NAME: Castanea henryi

COMMON NAME: Henry’s Chestnut

Plant Profile

Henry’s Chestnut is a deciduous tree of the beech family, reaching twenty to thirty metres in good forest conditions with a straight trunk and dark, furrowed bark. Its leaves are long, narrow and toothed, its catkins are upright and pale, and its nuts sit two or three to a spiny bur, ripening in autumn.

It is native to central and southern China, from the Yangtze valley south to Guangdong and west to Sichuan, where it grows in mixed forest on acid soils. It is named for Augustine Henry, the Irish plant collector who sent material from China to Kew in the 1880s.

Science & Biotechnology

The species is one of the Chinese chestnuts and is closely related to Castanea mollissima, the commercially grown Chinese chestnut, with which it is compared in studies of the genus. It is resistant to chestnut blight, like its relatives, and has been used in breeding work as a source of resistance and of timber quality.

Its nuts are smaller than those of the cultivated chestnut but sweet, and its timber is strong and durable, which has made it a dual-purpose tree in its native range. Work on the species has concentrated on its genetic diversity and on its relationship to the other Asian chestnuts. Its nuts are also a minor food for wildlife, and the burrs are a familiar autumn sight on the ground beneath the tree.

Uses & Benefits

The nuts are eaten roasted or boiled, and are gathered from the wild and from planted trees in southern China. The timber is used for furniture, poles and construction, and the tree is planted for both in its native range.

In gardens outside China it is a tree for a large space, grown by collectors and by chestnut breeders rather than by commercial growers. It is less productive than the cultivated Chinese chestnut, but hardier in some conditions and useful as a rootstock or a parent in breeding. The wood is light and is used for poles and tool handles in its native range, though it is not durable enough for construction.

Growing from Seed

Chestnut seed is short-lived and should not be allowed to dry out. Stratify the nuts in damp sand in a cool place over winter, or sow them in autumn in pots and leave them outside; cold, moist conditions are needed to break dormancy.

Plant the seedlings out in deep, acid, well-drained soil in full sun, spacing them at least eight metres apart, since the tree makes a broad crown. Keep the young tree watered in dry summers and mulch around the base. It begins to bear in about eight to ten years from seed, sooner if grafted.

Our Take

A Chinese chestnut for growers who want timber as well as nuts, and a useful parent for breeding. It needs acid soil, space and patience, and repays all three for a century.

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