Castana sativa - Sweet Chestnut

The Romans brought sweet chestnut (also known as Spanish chestnut) trees to Britain, and in the south of England and Wales the climate is warm enough for self-sown seeds to germinate. 

The wood is still sometimes used for fencing, mainly on smallholdings, and coppiced chestnut shoots are a traditional source of poles for hop growing.

Long (male) catkins appear in early summer, and the fruits develop from the female flowers. The sweet chestnuts, which develop inside spiny bracts, ripen in late autumn and are at their best in December.

Roast chestnuts are traditionally associated with log fires and Christmas.

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