Chestnut
Category:
Vii Wild Food On The Trail
I find that the _chestnut-tree_ is not as well known as its fruit, which
is sold from stands on the street corners of most American cities. A
round, green prickly burr is the husk of the nut, and this is lined
inside with soft, white, velvety down. Nestled closely in this soft bed
lie several dark-brown nuts with soft, polished shells. The first frost
opens the burrs, and the sweet nuts fall to the ground.
You may recognize the tree in midsummer by its long-tasselled,
cream-white blossoms, which hang in profusion from the ends of the
branches. The chestnut is the only forest-tree that blossoms at that
time, so you cannot mistake it. Later you will know it by the prickly
green burrs, which develop quickly. The tree is large and common to most
States. The leaves are from six to eight inches long; they are coarsely
toothed at the edges, sharply pointed at the end, and are prominently
veined on the under side. They grow mostly in tufts drooping from a
common centre.
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