**132/5-Tree Talk-Sweet Chestnuts.

Sweet Chestnuts.

Very Tasty?

This is the true Chestnut , not to be confused with the Horse Chestnut.  Probably not native to England, although here  for many centuries.  It does not like a very rich soil or stiff clay, & thrives best in a sandy loam. It is a tall upright tree with a stout trunk  &  short horizontal branches.  The bark is furrowed longitudinally,  at its base the furrows usually have a marked twist, as if the whole tree had been twisted round.   The big, pointed leaves grow up to ten inches in length & have  their margins cut into long, sharp teeth.  The flowers are very attractive.  The foliage of the tree turns shades of yellow & brown in the Autumn, remaining on the twigs till well om into thee winter.