The chestnut plant belongs to the genus Castanea[familia Fagacee]. This
genus consists of different species. The common chestnut [Castagnea sativa],grows
throughout Europe and is the most important species due to its fruit and its
lumber value.
The common
chestnut has been cultivated since ancient times. It is a tree that can live
hundreds of years and reach huge
dimensions.A s a young tree, it grows straight and tall,and it becames
globular and large as it ages. The trunk is stocky and has a grey b ark which
is snooth in the young tree and darkens as it ages showing a bark with deep
vertical lines. The roots of the tree are partially exposed. The branches are
straight and flexible; they are reddish-brown, or greenish-brown with freckles.
The leaves are large and stubby,have sharp edges and are simple toothed with
pointy ends.
The chestnut
tree thrives in tempered climates, having sufficiently distributed rainfall.
It is resistant to winter temperatures, but is susceptible to long ,dry spells.The
species needs abundant sunshine. In Italy, the typical habitat of the chestnut
plant is found in the lower elevations of the appennines and the alps,up to
1000 meters above sealevel. The best fields for the chestnut tree are those
rich in silica, well drained, fertile,mildly acidic or neutral;they are not
adapted to fields which have compacted soil and are extreemily dry and those
with a high limestone content.
The variety of
cultivated chestnut plants are numerous which makes their identification
difficult due to the high incidence of sinonimity.The chestnut is also
important for its lumber value.The lumber obtained from this tree is of good
quality, has a shiny gray complection, is moderately hard, dense, durable and
easily reworked.
The chestnut
trees are grown commercially in small groupings and are cut for lumber every
12-15 years; the lumber is used for the manufacture of small and large poles,the
construction of fences , strips for barrels, handles and the extraction of
tannins. The lumber from older trees is primarily used in the manufacture of
furniture.
ITALIAN TRANSLATION
The chestnut is extremely nutritive and provides a rich source of
food; it contains 200 calories for each 100 grams and 370 ,if the product is in
dry form. In addition, the chestnut is rich in aminoacids, vitamins [b1,b2,c,
pp1] and minerals. [potassium,phosphorus,sulfur,sodium,magnesium,calcium and
chlorine] and has antianemic and antiseptic properties. The popular pharmacopeia
makes abundant use of the fruit,of the leaves and bark, which are rich in
tannins and philosterine which promote an astringent reaction in the intestine
and the skin. They also have the properties of suppressing ordinary coughs and
whooping coughs.
