Chinkapin is a monoecious multi-stemmed, thicket-forming shrub or small tree with spreading lower branches and ascending upper branches. If grown as a tree in can reach 15-30 feet tall. It is resistant to the chestnut blight and can usually recover if infected. It can be found from the coast to 4500 feet elevation in the mountains. Chinkapin nuts are palatable to humans as well as wildlife. They have a sweet flavor and are eaten by many birds and mammals. They can be difficult to harvest and are not grown commercially. Its wood is light, hard, close-grained, and strong. It is used for fence posts and fuel although it is not timbered because of its small stature and scattered occurrence. This tree prefers dry, acidic to neutral, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. Use as a small shade tree or to provide food for yourself and wildlife in a lawn or naturalized area. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Chinkapin is moderately resistant to chestnut blight, but fewer trees are reported each year due to the inhibitory effects of the fungus.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves of the Chinkapin are alternate, simple, short-stemmed, prominently veined, oblong with fine pointed teeth or bristles, 3 to 5 inches long and 1.5-2 inches wide. They are bright yellow-green n the top and silvery tomentose (covered with densely matted woolly hairs) on the lower surface.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
White
Flower form
Catkin
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Both male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers are borne in the leaf axils (the upper angle between a leaf stalk or branch and the stem or trunk from which it is growing), elongated, yellow to white, clustered, and have a strong odor. The female flowers are rounder with a diameter up to 1 inch. Blooms from May to July.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The fruit is a spiny 1-1.5 inch bur that houses a single chestnut brown, shiny nut. Its fruits mature in autumn and winter.
Bark color
Light Brown
Bark detail
The bark is light brown tinged with red, slightly furrowed and broken into loose plate-like scales.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Twigs are densely hairy (tomentose) when young, becoming shiny brown with densely reddish-hairy buds with 2-3 overlapping scales.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central & E. U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV
Wildlife value
Larval host for butterflies. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer. Its nuts are eaten by woodpeckers, bluejays, small mammals, wild turkeys, black bears, and white-tailed deer.