what tree do chestnuts come from

Chestnuts come from trees in the chestnut genus, called Castanea , which are part of the beech family (Fagaceae).

Quick Scoop

• The main trees that edible chestnuts come from are:
  • American chestnut (Castanea dentata)

* European or sweet chestnut (_Castanea sativa_)

* Chinese chestnut (_Castanea mollissima_)

* Japanese chestnut (_Castanea crenata_)

• All of these are deciduous trees that produce spiky burrs containing the nuts you recognize as chestnuts.

• Globally there are about 8–9 recognized chestnut and chinquapin species in Castanea across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Mini sections

1. The “chestnut tree” in everyday talk

When people say “chestnut tree,” they usually mean the sweet/edible chestnut trees of the genus Castanea , especially the European sweet chestnut in Europe and Chinese or hybrid chestnuts in modern orchards.

2. Not to confuse with horse chestnut

There is also a “horse chestnut” tree (Aesculus hippocastanum), whose nuts are not true chestnuts and are generally considered inedible; true chestnuts are only from Castanea.

In short: the chestnuts you roast and eat come from Castanea chestnut trees, not from unrelated “horse chestnut” trees.

TL;DR: Chestnuts come from deciduous trees in the genus Castanea (true chestnut trees), mainly American, European (sweet), Chinese, and Japanese chestnuts.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.