The Ozark chinquapin (Castanea ozarkensis)

The Ozark chinquapin has been considered by some taxonomists to be a separate species in the genus, Castanea, and has been named Castanea ozarkensis, but other classifiers have named it Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis --a variety of the Allegheny chinquapin .  It is a chinquapin since it produces only one seed per bur, not three as in the American chestnut, but its leaves resemble the American chestnut and it used to attain tree dimensions before the blight.  Sadly, it fell victim to the blight as did the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and the Allegheny chinquapin. Despite the blight, it occasionally produces seeds. The native ranges of the Ozark chinquapin and the Allegheny chinquapin are shown below.

 

Distribution of Ozark chinquapin as determined by G. P. Johnson.
Johnson in 1988 stated that the populations of Ozark chinquapin in Alabama
were probably no longer extant.  This map was provided by Sandra Anagnostakos.

 

The following information on the Ozark chinquapin is from: 
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500326

2. Castanea ozarkensis Ashe, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club. 50: 360. 1923.

Ozark chinquapin

Castanea arkansana Ashe; C. pumila Miller var. ozarkensis (Ashe) G. E. Tucker

Trees, occasionally shrubs , previously often massive, to 20 m, now rarely more than 10 m, mostly resprouting following blight. Bark brownish, deeply or moderately fissured. Twigs glabrous when young. Leaves: petiole usually (8-)10-15 mm. Leaf blade narrowly obovate or oblanceolate, (40-)120-200(-260) × 30-100 mm, base rounded to slightly cordate or slightly cuneate, margins sharply serrate, each lateral vein terminating in cuneate, gradually acuminate tooth with awn usually more than 2 mm, apex acute or acuminate; surfaces abaxially densely to sparsely covered with appressed, whitish, minute, stellate trichomes, sometimes essentially glabrate, especially on shade leaves, veins glabrous or with a few simple trichomes. Pistillate flower 1 per cupule. Fruits: cupule 2-valved, enclosing 1 flower/fruit, valves irregularly dehiscing along 2 sutures, longest spines usually more than 10 mm; nut 1 per cupule, oval-conic, 9-19 × 8-14 mm, round in cross section, not flattened, beak less than 3mm excluding styles.

Flowering June. Deciduous forest; 150-600 m; Ala., Ark., La., Mo., Okla., Tex.

Castanea ozarkensis is concentrated in the Ozark Mountains, extending into the Ouachita Mountains (Arkansas) as well, where some intermediates with C . pumila may be found (G. E. Tucker 1975; G. P. Johnson 1988). Some authors have interpreted the putative hybrids as evidence to support inclusion of the Ozark chinquapin as a subspecies of C . pumila . Because virtually all chestnut species are interfertile, the occurrence of hybridization cannot be used as evidence of conspecificity, unless one is willing to accept a single chestnut species worldwide. The nature of the character differences between the Ozark populations and populations of C . pumila are substantial, and they are similar to differences seen between closely related species of Quercus , that nonetheless may hybridize locally. In many characteristics, C . ozarkensis differs from C . pumila in the direction of C . dentata (e.g., tree habit, glabrous twigs, leaf shape and size), including its resprouting pattern following chestnut blight (F. L. Paillet 1993). Given the ability of the chestnut to hybridize, and its intermediacy toward C . dentata , the origin of the Ozark chinquapin as a mere geographic race of C . pumila is questionable, and for the present, C . ozarkensis is best treated as a separate species.

Populations from northern Alabama are apparently no longer extant, probably eliminated by the chestnut blight (G. P. Johnson 1988).

These Ozark chinquapin photos from Thad were taken in southern Missouri in Sept. 2005; he said the tree (upper left photo) was about as large as he has found and that it was blighted.  Note the leaves (upper right photo) are similar in appearance to the American chestnut. In the bottom left photo, the golden burs are about ready to split and release the small nuts which are are eaten by many birds and mammals.  The lower right photo shows that the Ozark chinquapin sometimes attains the size of a small tree before blight snuffs the life out of the main stem, but basal sprouting often perpetuates the tree's DNA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is another photo from Thad. It shows a fallen Ozark chinquapin which was 50 to 60 feet tall in its day.  The land owner said it has been dead for many years. He remembers several of them being 18 to 20 inches across in the late 40s and early 50s  and said most of them died around the early 60s.

 

Below is a photo of Darrel Williams and his son Jesse by a blighted Ozark chinquapin.  Robert Barnes says that such trees typically produce nuts for about 4 years and then die from the blight, but then new stems grow and produce more fruit.  I have seen American chestnut trees growing on sunny sites do the same thing. The burs and leaves of the Ozark chinquapin look more like American chestnut that Allegheny chinquapin, but the single nut per bur is clearly a chinquapin nut.  (Photo by Robert Barnes)

 

The photo below shows an Ozark chinquapin covered with flowers (photo from Robert Barnes).

 

This is currently the largest Ozark chinquapin reported by the Ozark Chinquapin
Foundation.  It exceeds 60 feet in height and is on Jay Bowsher's property. 
(photo from Robert Barnes)


 

 

An Ozark chinquapin growing in full sun with many stems (some blighted).  Photo from Robert Barnes.


 

This photo from Robert Barnes shows some of his chinquapin seedlings. He has grown and  given away many of them. When treated and sprayed for  weevils
he gets approximately 90% germination.  He says they are very easy to grow.
 

 

The photo below shows Robert Barnes beside some of his chinquapin seedlings
which he uses as rootstocks for scions from superior Ozark chinquapin trees.

 

This Ozark chinquapin fruit photo was taken in southern Missouri by Skip.

 

Below is the foliage and trunk of a probable Ozark chinquapin in north central Alabama (photos by Joe Schibig, 2006).
This three was 7 inches in diameter at breast height and approximately 45 feet tall.  Although its foliage and bark looks
quite a bit like an American chestnut, it produces only one chinquapin-like nut per bur.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to learn about the American chestnut

To learn about Tennessee chestnut breeding activities, visit the
 TN-TACF website:  http://www2.volstate.edu/tnchestnut/  
 

Check out: The Ozark Chinquapin
Foundation's website: 
 http://www.ozarkchinquapin.com/

You can communicate with the author of this website at:
jschibig@volstate.edu