Castanea sativa, Miller.^*(C. vesca Gærtner.)

The Sweet Chesnut Tree. South Europe and temperate Asia, as far as Japan, and a variety with smaller fruits extending to North America. It attains an enormous age; at Mount Etna an individual tree occurs with a stem 204 feet in circumference. The wood is light and coarse-grained; the importance of the tree rests on its adaptability for shade plantations, its nutritious nuts and timber value.