From China, Henry's Chestnut is a large tree type chinquapin chestnut that reaches over 90 ft. tall in its mountain forests. It produces one nut per bur. Henry is know mostly for its complete resistance to chestnut blight and chestnut gall wasp. It is considered maybe even resistant to a root disorder called ink disease. Henry's fast growth is apparent in the seedlings and would be a worthy candidate to experiment in areas of disease where other chestnuts would fail. It is not considered the world's hardiest chestnut maybe growing into zone 5 or 6 tops. The flavor of the nut is much like the American or chinquapin chestnut. The nuts drop out of the burr like the chinquapin and just fall to the ground free of the husk. Not self fertile so plant two for nut production. We are not sure if it hybridizes with the other chestnuts.
| Plant Specs |
| Genus & Species |
Castanea henryi |
| Seed Source |
Unknown |
| Hardiness |
-15 to -20 F |
| Height (ft) |
90 |
| Width (ft) |
60-70 |
| Pollination Requirements |
Needs two of itself to fruit. |
| Soil |
Sandy loam or just sandy |
| Climate |
Zone 6-9. Mountainous species. |
| Ease of Cultivation |
Not sure. We haven't fruited it yet. |
