Chinkapin
Castanea pumila
The compact chestnut relative that survived the blight. Sweet fall nuts that deer, turkeys, and jays compete for, on a thicket-forming native shrub.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Native mast producer for wildlife, tough as nails on dry slopes, and the closest living relative to the lost American chestnut.
Chinkapin is the compact native relative of the American chestnut, and it survived the blight that destroyed the chestnut because it largely grows as a thicket-forming shrub rather than a large tree. The nuts it produces are smaller than chestnuts but just as sweet, and wildlife take them with the same enthusiasm: deer, turkey, squirrels, and blue jays all compete for the September and October crop. In June, the cream-white catkins are showy and fragrant in a musky, distinctive way, covering the plant before the nuts begin to form. The foliage is bold and chestnut-like: toothed, oblong, with a fuzzy underside. It spreads by root suckers to form naturalistic colonies on dry banks, open woods, and woodland edges. This is a plant for the naturalized landscape where wildlife value is the priority.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown chinkapin propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 4–15 ft · 5–15 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States from Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Oklahoma and Texas
Care notes for chinkapin.
Tolerates dry, sandy, rocky, and poor soils. one of the few fruiting natives that actually prefers lean conditions. Full sun to light shade. Spreads by suckers; in a managed landscape, remove suckers as needed to control spread. No fertilization required. Essentially maintenance-free once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside chinkapin.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.