Range.—Maine and Michigan southward to Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Distribution in West Virginia.—Abundant in most parts of the State; of best quality along the lower western slopes of the Alleghanies.
Habitat.—Thrives in most places in West Virginia, but is less frequently seen on limestone soils and in swampy places.
Notes.—The Chestnut tree is prized for its lumber, its nuts, its tannin, and for its numerous uses, especially on the farm. It is a very rapid grower, and sprouts freely from the base of the stump when cut down. A disease known as chestnut blight has entered the State and threatens to exterminate this tree.
CHINQUAPIN
Castanea pumila, (L.) Mill.
Form.—Height 20-30 feet, diameter 1-2 feet, in West Virginia usually much smaller; trunk short, supporting a rounded crown.
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, 2-6 inches long, lanceolate or oblong, narrowed at both ends, coarsely serrate, thick, smooth and yellow-green on the upper surface, paler and covered with a whitish down beneath.