''Castanea crenata'', the Japanese chestnut,
also known as the Korean chestnut is a species of
chestnut native to
Japan and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
.
''Castanea crenata'' exhibits resistance to ''
Phytophthora cinnamomi
''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called " root rot", "dieback", or (in certain ''Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the wo ...
'', the fungal pathogen that causes
ink disease in several Castanea species. The mechanism of resistance of ''Castanea crenata'' to ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' may derive from its expression of the Cast_Gnk2-like gene.
Description
''Castanea crenata'' is a small to medium-sized
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
growing to 10–15 m tall. The
leaves are similar to those of the
sweet chestnut
''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...
, though usually a little smaller, 8–19 cm long and 3–5 cm broad. The
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s of both sexes are borne in 7–20 cm long, upright catkins, the male flowers in the upper part and female flowers in the lower part. They appear in summer, and by autumn, the female flowers develop into spiny
cupule
A cupule is a small structure shaped like a cup, including:
* In archeology, rock cupules are circular man-made hollows on the surface of a large rock or a rock slab
** On a smaller artifact they are called a cupstone.
* In botany: the base of an ...
s containing 3–7 brownish
nuts that are shed during October.
Cultivation and uses
''Castanea crenata'' is an important tree in Japan and Korea for its heavy production of sweet, edible
nuts. A number of
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s have been selected for large nut size. It is also widely cultivated in eastern
China and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
It is resistant to
chestnut blight and to
ink disease, and for these reasons is of importance in
North America in the development of disease-resistant
hybrids and
genetic engineering of the
American chestnut, which is susceptible to both fungal pathogens.
Examples of European × Japanese Hybrid Cultivars
Cultivars for Michigan
Retrieved 2015-6 are:
* ' Colossal'
* ‘Bouche de Betizac Bouche de Bétizac is a French chestnut cultivar developed in 1962 by INRA at the station of Malemort-sur-Corrèze near Brive. It is a controlled hybrid between Castanea sativa and Castanea crenata (female Bouche rouge × male Castanea crenata CA04 ...
’
* ‘Precoce Migoule The Precoce Migoule is a chestnut hybrid (CA 48), a natural cross between a European chestnut (Castanea sativa) and a Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata). It was discovered by J. Dufrenoy at the orchard of Migoule in Brive-la-Gaillarde. The tree ...
’
* ‘Labor Day’
Gallery
Castanea crenata.jpg, Chestnut fruit
Peeled chestnuts.jpg, Peeled chestnuts
Image:Castanea crenata 1.jpg, Male flower
Image:Castanea crenata 2.jpg
Image:Castanea crenata 3.jpg
Image:Korean chestnut (Castanea crenata).jpg, Shell opened naturally on the ground
Image:Japanese Chestnut.jpg
Image:Chestnut tree02.jpg, Trees
References
American Phytopathological Society: chestnut breeding
{{Taxonbar, from=Q717827
crenata
Flora of Japan
Trees of Korea
Edible nuts and seeds