Sweet Chestnut
Surrey, England UK
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) var. Marron de Lyon
Planted by Mike and Joanne Powell
This species, native to southern Europe, western Asia and north Africa, was introduced here in Roman times. Producing large edible chestnuts in the autumn (favourite for roasting), the nuts are a rich source of starch and vitamin C. The flowers provide a pollen and nectar source and the tree is host to many small moth species. There are a number of managed sweet chestnut coppices in southern England, the wood being particularly good for fencing poles and stakes, as it is easily worked and resistant to rot. Sweet chestnuts can be very long lived, there are some we know locally which were planted in 1714! The Marron de Lyon variety, as its name suggests, originated in France and is a compact tree which fruits within the first few years of planting.
