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Castanea sativa (Fagaceae)

This specimen of chestnut tree is located on the mountains between Catanzaro and Crotone, in the municipality of Cerva, inside the territories of Azienda Foreste Regionale of Calabria.  This area has the highest concentration of chestnut trees of all Calabria.

The trunk of the tree is stout and presents bulges in the middle and basal part (Its base circumference measures 13 m), when it reaches 4.5 m it branches forming a medium-thick foliage with well-distributed boughs which get till 22 m height.

Its age is around 340-400 years, its phytosanitary and vegetative conditions are good and are constantly supervised.

How to reach it:

Drive on the road which connects Catanzaro and Crotone, when you reach Selia Marina take the road for Sersale at the crossroads. Once you have reached Sersale continue driving for about 8 km till Cerva. The chestnut tree is in the locality of Melitani.

Botanical characteristics:

Common chestnut trees are spread widely all-over southern Europe, its area of diffusion has been subjected to the influence of men, because they have started cultivating them since ancient times to use its nourishing fruits.

The specie is slightly heliophilous and is not able to stand late frosts. It vegetates well in areas with suboceanic climates, while dislikes continentality.

It prefers loose, fresh, rich in nutrients (potassium, phosphorous) soils with a subacid-acid reaction.

The tree grows between 200 and 800 m of altitude on the alps, while it tends to move at higher heights, 1000-1300 m, on the southern Appennines.

The specie is cultivated principally because of its fruits, but it is possible to get tannin from its cortex, which is used for leather tanning, and its wood is an appreciated type of firewood.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)