Chestnut Seedlings from Cultivars- Descriptions and Some Notes

West Danby Hybrids -These seed come from the orchard of Brian Caldwell in West Danby NY. Brain has been growing and selecting trees for over 35 years. These trees are productive and hardy in Zone 5. Most trees are predominantly Chinese

Szego is a complex hybrid, a seedling of the California hybrid, Linden (which may be a seedling of Essate), and appears to be predominantly Crenata/Pumila. The pollen parent of Szego may be the Dunstan hybrid, Revival. Szego is a very vigorous and erect tree, far more vigorous than the average Chinese tree. It grafts well on Chinese trees, Chinese hybrids, Japanese hybrids and European hybrids. It is a heavy pollen producer. Nuts are uniformly large (12-16 per lb), but easy peeling and fairly dense, much like a Chinese nut. Nuts are sweet and flavorful, generally with more flavor than pure Chinese nuts. The nuts drop mid season (2-3 weeks after Colossal) and store very well. The tree is resistant to phytophthora root rot. It does have some blight resistance but the extent is not yet fully known. It has been growing for more than nine years in many blighted areas with some signs of blight but blight has not killed it and does not seem to materially damage its productivity. The tree is named after New York NNGA member Al Szego, who worked with many types of hybrid chestnuts before passing away in 1991. Mr. Szego was known for his generosity in providing others with nuts, scion wood, and advice.

Ace – American, Chinese and European genetics. Easy peeling Chinese type nut with good flavor. Hardy and delicious.

Luvall's Monster - (C. crenata x C. dentata) x C. mollisima tree with large nuts grown by the late Verne Luvall in Galesburg, Illinois.

Jenny- is an open pollinated seedling of the old Ohio cultivar Kintzel. Kintzel is discussed in a 1962 NNGA Nutshell article. Like Kintzel, Jenny is a vigorous tall tree with a very erect growth pattern and unusually large leaves. It does not have the orchard type growth pattern common in many Chinese chestnut trees. The nuts are large and very flavorful - one of our favorite eating nuts. Despite their size, the nuts drop early in the season. Additionally, all nuts drop within a very short period of time once the first nuts start dropping. Kintzel was blight resistant and very cold hardy and Jenny is expected to have the same traits.

Mossbarger- Originally from Kentucky. Known to be productive and consistently bears large crops annually. Quite vigorous in Zone 4. Chinese

Gideon- Greg Miller selected 'Gideon' from a planting of C. mollissima seedlings in Ohio. His 'Gideon' ortet averages 12-18 g/nut. He also selected 'Amy' and 'Peach'.

Peach- Greg Miller selected 'Peach' from a planting of C. mollissima seedlings in Ohio.

Sadie Hunter- Rootstock sprout rom a failed graft of Sleeping Giant. A likely offspring of Sleeping Giant. So far quite hardy in zone 4. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Sleeping Giant- Mollissima x (crenata x dentata). Consistent producer of med-large handsome nuts, about 40 per lb. Reasonably hardy in zone 4. Large tree. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Qing- Was named by Mike Nave . The original ortet is of unknown origin and is growing as a yard tree in Hickory, Kentucky, where it still bears large crops of large-sized(≈20-25g/nut) nuts. May be a hybrid with chinkapin. Very hardy in zone 4

Lockwood- Complex crenata hybrid, compact tree with huge nuts. Marginally hardy in Zone 4. ‘Lockwood’ is a
seedling from SL R4T3 (Plantation) open pollinated, 1946:
SL R4T3 is `Hammond-’86', from cross #86-31: Its male parent was a tree near Washington, DC (FP 551). Its female parent was the east branch of a tree managed by P. Hammond, Syosset, Long Island, New York, (estate of Bronson Winthrop). The Long Island tree was grafted with two leaders: one with a single nut in each bur, (east branch) and the other with three nuts per bur (west branch; broken off in Hurricane Gloria, 1985). A peroxidase test was done on material from the surviving east branch in 1994, and it was AB, proving that it was not pure Japanese (as Hammond assumed) but a hybrid. We believe that the east branch was Japanese X European and the west branch (probably the root stock) was Japanese. The hybrid ‘Hammond-’86’ has good blight resistance. ‘Hammond-‘86’ was open pollinated in 1946 (probably by Japanese), and seedling ‘Lockwood’ was planted about 1957. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Little Giant C. [ (mollissima x seguinii) x (mollissima x seguinii) ] . A true dwarf orchard style tree, has sweet small nuts. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Madison-Sibling of Little Giant, Slightly larger tree and nut. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

King Arthur-Sibling of Little Giant, larger tree and much larger nut. Very vigorous. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Hope- Sibling of Little Giant, Slightly larger tree and nut. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Gimli-King Arthur x Lockwood (see above). Large nuts vigorous tree.Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection

Eaton- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection. Probable hybrid, appears chinese with large sweet nuts. Similar in taste to ‘Eaton’

Eaton x C. henryi- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection. Bred by Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis.

Eaton x C. ozarkensis- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection. Bred by Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis.

C. ozarkensis x Collosal- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection. Bred by Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis.

HHR9 last tree Old Lyme- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection. Bred by Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis. Probably Japanese or hybrid Japanese

C. seguini cross- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection.

C. ozarkensis - From the best out of hundreds at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

Scientists Cliffs -I find this tree very interesting for Zone 4, seed from this tree are the most vigorous I have ever grown. Small American type nuts, very sweet . `Scientist's Cliffs'’ graft (doesn’t look like dentata)
called “American,” from Glenndale, MD, land of G.F. Gravatt,
also known as FP1000, graft about 1959

Shotgun - A chinese selection by Tom and Kathy Wahl at Red Fern Farm in Iowa

Meader selections- From the work of Elwyn Meader in Rochester NH, Zone 5. American hybrids

Xixian Large and Xixian GF- Superior Chinese trees GF = Good Flavor

Whitten Selections - productive of medium-large sweet nuts with excellent flavor. Supposedly dependable in cooler summer areas. Original seed or trees were said to be brought out west in a covered wagon around 1880 to Olympia, WA. Two large trees with seedlings in the forest right next to them, European x American hybrid.

Royalmark- Selected by Richard Winkel. “The seed that tree grew from was in a bulk seed purchase I made from the folks promoting Chinese Chestnuts for Michigan around 1990. However all details beyond that are now lost to the ancient past. I have been hoping that genetic testing of chestnuts would begin to unravel some of these mysteries.” Excellent orchard tree with very tasty easy to peel nuts that keep very well. Very delicious and one of the earliest to drop in Mid-September.. Likely Chinese x European hybrid

Hershey Selections signified by NTN - From the planting at John Hershey's old nursery outside Downingtown PA. Planted about 1945, some of these trees are huge. 'Timber Pass Hybrid' (now cut down)and 'Back Row are very large trees with good medium sized nuts. Likely Chinese x Japanese hybrids. Yellowood, Fisher and Cider are likely other seedlings from John Hershey’s work at the TVA.

There is a link to online resources at the bottom of this page. For those who want to ask questions about chestnuts and growing, please join the facebook group All About Chestnuts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/272120753285618/ . many many experienced growers from all over the world are available for questions and comments..

Seedlings currently being grown here at the farm-

Chinese Cultivars (or mostly Chinese)- Resilient , Benton Harbor, AU Super, Gideon, Peach, Qing, Kohr, Mossbarger, Shotgun, Lui, Xixian Large, Xixian Good Flavor, OK Kwang, Perry, Mahogony x Nanking, Hartman, Orrin, the RR trees are all mostly chinese,

Complex Hybrids (Chinese, Japanese, American, Chinquapin)- Sleeping Giant, Gimli, King Arthur, Sadie Hunter, Szego, Luvalls Monster, Little Giant, Madison, Luvalls Monster, Sadie Hunter, Hope, Eaton, Lockwood, CT Early, Szego, ACE, West Danby Hydrids, NTN Cider, Yellowood, Fisher, 530G,

Americans- Oxford ME, Rocky Hill#5, American R2T5 (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selection)..

American Hybrids-SOR T1 and T3, American R2T5 and R1T1(Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station selections).AmericanX Worcester VT, Vancouver Timber,

Click here-RESOURCES-