American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
Found in moist and dry forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
86
Keystone
Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 50–75 feet
- Spread
- 50–75 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
Chestnut blight. Chestnut blight usually kills it back to stump sprouts and small trees at about the size of first fruiting. Plant caution source
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Summer
- Fruiting season
- September to October
Recorded in 2 Florida counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
91CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Castanea
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
- Acronicta incretaSouthern Oak Dagger, Eclipsed Oak Dagger, Small Oak Dagger
- Actias lunaLuna Moth
- Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
- Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
- Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
- Ancylis divisanaTwo-Toned Ancylis
- Anisota peigleriPeigler's Oakworm Moth
Show all 91
- Anisota stigmaSpiny Oakworm Moth, Stigma Moth
- Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
- Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
- Argyrotaenia marianaGray-Banded Leafroller Moth
- Blastobasis glandulellaAcorn Moth
- Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
- Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
- Cydia latiferreanaFilbertworm
- Dasychira meridionalisSouthern Tussock Moth
- Datana contractaContracted Datana
- Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
- Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
- Dyseriocrania griseocapitellaChinquapin Leaf-Miner
- Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
- Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
- Euchlaena obtusariaObtuse Euchlaena
- Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
- Gesta brizoSleepy Duskywing
- Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
- Heterogenea shurtleffiRed-Eyed Button Slug
- Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
- Hyperstrotia villificansWhite-Lined Graylet
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Ianassa lignicolorWhite-Streaked Prominent
- Isa textulaCrowned Slug
- Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
- Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
- Lochmaeus manteoVariable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth
- Macrurocampa marthesiaMottled Prominent
- Mompha cephalonthiellaButtonbush Leafminer
- Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
- Nadata gibbosaWhite-Dotted Prominent
- Natada nasoniNason's Slug Moth
- Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
- Neurobathra strigifinitellaFinite-Channeled Leafminer
- Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
- Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
- Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
- Paranthrene simulansHornet Clearwing, Golden Oak Borer
- Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
- Parasa indeterminaStinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Rose Slug Caterpillar
- Peridea angulosaAngulose Prominent
- Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
- Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
- Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
- Plagodis fervidariaFervid Plagodis
- Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
- Prionoxystus macmurtreiLittle Carpenterworm, Lesser Oak Carpenter Worm
- Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
- Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
- Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
- Pseudexentera spolianaBare-Patched Leafroller
- Psilocorsis cryptolechiellaBlack-Fringed Leaftier
- Psilocorsis quercicellaOak Leaftier
- Satyrium calanusBanded Hairstreak, Falacer Hairstreak
- Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
- Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
- Scolecocampa liburnaDead-Wood Borer
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spragueia onagrusBlack-Dotted Spragueia
- Symmerista albifronsWhite-Headed Prominent
- Synanthedon castaneaeChestnut Clearwing Borer
- Synanthedon pictipesLesser Peachtree Borer Moth
- Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
- Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Tischeria quercitellaOak Blotch Miner
- Antaeotricha unipunctella
- Coptotriche castaneaeella
- Coptotriche zelleriella
- Dichomeris ventrellus
- Menesta tortriciformella
- Pseudexentera haracana
- Stigmella castaneaefoliella
- Stigmella macrocarpae
- Zimmermannia bosquella
5BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Castanea
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Castanea
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–8b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Yellow or white
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Growth habit
- Single stem
- Foliage color
- Yellow-green
- Fruit begins
- September
- Fruit ends
- October
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), USDA PLANTS differ)
- Flower color · “Yellow or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Foliage color · “Yellow-green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “50–75 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “50–75 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Florida rank | SX |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G3 |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- FloraQuest: South Central (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- FloraQuest: Florida (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- FloraQuest: Northern Tier (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications