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Spanish " chestnut. (1) The common horse-chestnut, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Ger. Rosskastanie; Fr. marronnier d' Inde), has been stated to be a native of See also:

TIBET, or THIBET

Tibet, and to have been brought thence to See also:

England in 155o; it is now, however, thought to be indigenous in the mountains of See also:

NORTHERN

northern See also:

GREECE

Greece, where it occurs See also:

WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild at 3000 to 4000 ft. above See also:

sea-level. Matthiolus, who attributes the origin of the name of the See also:

tree to the use of the nuts by the inhabitants of See also:

Constantinople for the See also:

RELIEF

relief of See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short-windedness and cough in horses, remarks that no See also:

ancient writer appears to have made mention of the horse-chestnut. Clusius (Rariorum plantarum Kist. i. p. 8, 16o1) describes it as a See also:

VEGETABLE

vegetable curiosity, of which in 1588 he had See also:

LEFT

left in See also:

Vienna a living specimen, but of which he had not yet seen either the See also:

FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers or See also:

RECENT

recent fruit. The dry fruit, he says, had frequently been brought from Constantinople into See also:

EUROPE

Europe. The tree grows rapidly; it flourishes best in a sandy, somewhat moist See also:

LOAM (O.E. lam; the word appears in Dut. leem and Ger. Lehm; the ultimate origin is the root lai-, meaning " to be sticky," which is seen in the cognate " lime," Lat. limus, mud, clay)

loam, and attains a height of 5o to 6o or more ft., assuming a pyramidal outline. Its boughs are strong and spreading. The buds, conspicuous for their See also:

SIZE

size, are protected by a coat of a glutinous substance, which is impervious to See also:

WATER

water; in See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring this melts, and the bud-scales are then See also:

CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast off. The leaves are composed of seven radiating leaflets (See also:

long-See also:

WEDGE (O. Eng. wecg, a mass of metal, cognate with Dutch wig, wigge, Dan. vaegge, &c.; in Lith. the cognate form outside Teut. is found in wagis, a peg, spigot; there is no connexion with " weigh," " weight," which must be referred to the root wegh, to li

wedge-shaped); when See also:

young they are downy and drooping. From the See also:

early date of its leafing See also:

YEAR

year by year, a horse-chestnut in the Tuileries is known as the " Marronnier du 20 See also:

mars." The flowers of the horse-chestnut, which are See also:

white dashed with red and yellow, appear in May, and sometimes, but quite exceptionally, again in autumn; they See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form a handsome erect panicle, but comparatively few of them afford mature fruit.

The fruit is ripe in or shortly before the first See also:

WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=change, turn)

week in See also:

OCTOBER

October, when it falls to the ground, and the three-valved thorny See also:

CAPSULE (from the Lat. capsula, a small box)

capsule divides, disclosing the See also:

brown and at first beautifully glossy seeds, the so-called nuts, having a resemblance to sweet chestnuts, and commonly three or else two in number. For See also:

PROPAGATION

propagation of the tree, the seeds may be sown either when fresh, or, if preserved in See also:

sand or See also:

earth, in spring. Drying by exposure to the See also:

air for a See also:

month has been found to prevent their germination. Rooks are wont to remove the nutsfrom the tree just before they fall, and to disperse them in various directions. The tree is rarely planted in mixed plantations where profit is an See also:

OBJECT

object; it interferes with its neighbours and occupies too much See also:

ROOM

room. It is generally introduced near See also:

MANSION (through O. Fr. mansion, mod. maison, from Lat. mansio, dwelling-place, stage on a journey; manere, to remain)

mansion-houses for See also:

ORNAMENT (Lat. ornare, to adorn)

ornament and shade, and the celebrated avenues at See also:

Richmond and Bushey See also:

Park in England are See also:

OBJECTS

objects of See also:

GREAT

great beauty at the See also:

time of flowering. The bark of the horse-chestnut contains a greenish oil, See also:

RESIN (through O.Fr. resine, modern reline, from Lat. resina, prcbably Latinized from Greek Pirivrt, resin)

resin, a yellow See also:

BODY

body, a See also:

TANNIN, or TANNIC ACID

tannin, C26H24O12, existing likewise in the seeds and various parts of the tree, and decomposable into phloroglucin and aesciglyoxalic See also:

ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid, C7H603, also aesculetin See also:

HYDRATE

hydrate, and the crystalline fluorescent See also:

compound aesculin, of the formulaC21H,4013 (Rochleder and See also:

Schwarz), with which occurs a similar substance fraxin, the paviin of See also:

Sir G. G. See also:

Stokes (Q. J. Chem. See also:

Soc. xi.

17, 1859; xii. 126, 186o), who suggests that its presence may perhaps See also:

account for the discrepancies in the analyses of aesculin given by different authors. From the seeds have been obtained See also:

STARCH

starch (about 14%), See also:

GUM (Fr. gomme, Lat. gommi, Gr. Kµµ1, possibly a Coptic word; distinguish " gum," the fleshy covering of the base of a tooth, in O. Eng. gbma, palate, cf. Ger. Gaumen, roof of the mouth; the ultimate origin is probably the root gha, to open wide, seen in

gum, See also:

MUCILAGE (from Late Lat. mucilago, a mouldy juice, from mucere, to be mouldy)

mucilage, a non-drying oil, phosphoric acid, salts of See also:

CALCIUM [symbol Ca, atomic weight 40.0 (o= x6)]

calcium, saponin, by boiling which with dilute hydrochloric or sulphuric acid aesculic acid is obtained, quercitrin, See also:

PRESENT

present also in the fully See also:

DEVELOPED

developed leaves, aescigenin, C12H26O2, and aesculetin, C9H6O4, which is procurable also, but in small quantity only, from the bark. See also:

FRIEDRICH, JOHANN (1836— )

Friedrich Rochleder has described as constituent principles of the cotyledons aphrodaescin, C52H32O23, a See also:

BITTER, KARL THEODORE FRANCIS (1867– )

bitter See also:

GLUCOSIDE

glucoside, argyraescin, C27H42O12, aescinic acid, C24H40O12, and queraescitrin, C41H46025, found also in the leaves. To prepare pure starch from the seeds, Flandin (See also:

COMET (Gr. Koµieiis, long-haired)

Comet. rend. See also:

XXVII

xxvii. 391, 1848; See also:

XXVIII

xxviii. 138, 1849) recommends kneading them, when peeled and bruised, in an aqueous See also:

SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution of Alf to 6 of their See also:

WEIGHT

weight of See also:

SODIUM [symbol Na, from Lat. natrium; atomic weight 23.00 (0=16)]

sodium carbonate. E. Staffel (See also:

Ann. d. Chem. u. Pharm. lxxvi., 185o, p. 379) after drying found, in spring and autumn respectively, 10.9 and 3.38% of ash in the See also:

wood, 8.68 and 6.57 in the bark, and 7.68 and 7.52 in the leaves of the horse-chestnut.

The ash of the unripe fruit contains 58.77, that of the ripe See also:

KERNEL (O.E. cyrnel, a diminutive of " corn," seed, grain)

kernel 61.74, and that of the See also:

green See also:

shell 75'91% of potash (E. See also:

Wolff). The wood of the horse-chestnut is soft, and serves only for the making of water-pipes, for See also:

turner's See also:

WORK

work and common See also:

CARPENTRY

carpentry, as a source of See also:

CHARCOAL

charcoal for See also:

GUNPOWDER

gunpowder, and as See also:

FUEL (O. Fr. feuaile, popular Lat. focalia, from focus, hearth, fire)

fuel. Newly cut it weighs 6o lb, and dry 35 lb per cub. ft. approximately. The bark has been employed for See also:

DYEING (0. Eng. dedgian, dealt ; Mid. Eng. deyen)

dyeing yellow and for tanning, and was formerly in popular repute as a febrifuge and tonic. The See also:

POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder of the dried nuts was at one time prescribed as a sternutatory (to encourage See also:

SNEEZING (0. Eng. fneosung, from fneosan, to sneeze, cf. Dutch fniezen, allied to the obsolete neeze, and ultimately to be referred to root seen in Gr. irveiv, to breathe; the initial s is due to association with numerous words, such as snort, snuff, snor

sneezing) in the See also:

EDINBURGH

Edinburgh See also:

PHARMACOPOEIA (lit. the art of the OapµaK07robbs, or drug-compounder)

Pharmacopoeia. It is stated to form with See also:

ALUM

alum-water a size or See also:

CEMENT (from Lat. caementum, rough pieces of stone, a shortened form of caedimentum, from caedere, to cut)

cement highly offensive to See also:

VERMIN (Fr. vermine, formed as if from Lat. verminus, vcrmis, a worm)

vermin, and with two parts of wheaten See also:

FLOUR

flour the material for a strong bookbinder's See also:

PASTE (O. Fr. paste, modern pate, Late Lat. pasta, whence also in Span., Port. and Ital., from Gr. 1r&vrrl or 1raara, barley porridge, or salted pottage, ir&ao'ety, to sprinkle with salt)

paste. Infusion of horse-chestnuts is found to expel See also:

WORMS

worms from See also:

SOIL

soil, and soon to kill them if they are left in it. The nuts furthermore have been applied to the manufacture of an oil for burning, cosmetic preparations and starch, and in See also:

SWITZERLAND

Switzerland, See also:

France and See also:

Ireland, when rasped on ground, to the See also:

BLEACHING

bleaching of See also:

FLAX

flax, See also:

HEMP (in O. Eng. henep, cf. Dutch hennep, Ger. Hanf , cognate with Gr. Kavval3er, Lat. cannabis)

hemp, See also:

SILK

silk and See also:

WOOL, WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES

wool. In See also:

Geneva horse-chestnuts are largely consumed by grazing stock, a single See also:

sheep receiving 2 lb. crushed See also:

MORNING

morning and evening. Given to cows in moderate quantity, they have been found to enhance both the yield and flavour of See also:

MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk. See also:

Deer readily eat them, and, after a preliminary steeping in See also:

lime-water, pigs also.

For poultry they should be used boiled, and mixed with other nourishment. The fallen leaves are relished by sheep and deer, and afford a See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

LITTER (through O. Fr. litere or litiere, mod. litiere from Med. Lat. lectaria, classical lectica, lectus, bed, couch)

litter for flocks and herds. One variety of the horse-chestnut has variegated leaves, and another See also:

double flowers. See also:

Darwin observed that Ae. See also:

PAVIA (anc. Ticinum, q.v.)

Pavia, the red buckeye of See also:

North See also:

AMERICA

America., shows a See also:

SPECIAL

special tendency, under unfavourable conditions, to be double-blossomed. The seeds of this See also:

SPECIES

species are used to stupefy See also:

fish. The See also:

SCARLET

scarlet-flowered horse-chestnut, Ae. rubicunda, is a handsome tree, less in height and having a rounder See also:

head than the common form; it is a native of North America. Another species, possessing flowers with the See also:

LOWER

lower petals white with a red tinge, and the upper yellow and red with a white border, and fruit unarmed, is Ae. indica, a native of the western Himalayas. Among the North See also:

AMERICAN

American species are the. foetid or See also:

OHIO

Ohio buckeye, Ae. glabra, and Ae. ftava, the sweet buckeye. Ae. californica, when full-grown and in See also:

flower, is a beautiful tree, but its leaves often fall before midsummer. (2) The Spanish or sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa (natural See also:

order, Fagaceae), is a stately and magnificent tree, native of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, but also ripening its fruit in sheltered situations as far north as See also:

Scotland. It lives very long, and attains a large size, spreading its branches widely.

It has large glossy lanceolate leaves with a toothed margin. The flowers, which appear in early summer, are in pendulous, slender yellowish catkins, which See also:

bear a number of staminate flowers with a few pistillate flowers at the See also:

BASE

base. The staminate contain 8 to 20 stamens which produce an enormous amount of dusty yellow See also:

POLLEN, AUGUST (or, as he afterwards called himself, ADOLF) LUDWIG (1794-1855)

pollen, some of which gets carried by See also:

wind to the protruding stigmas of the pistillate flowers. The latter are See also:

BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne three together, invested by a cupule of four green bracts, which, as the fruit matures, grow to form the tough green prickly envelope surrounding the See also:

GROUP

group of generally three nuts. The largest known chestnut tree is the famous See also:

CASTAGNO, ANDREA DEL (1390-1457)

Castagno di See also:

cento See also:

CAVALLI, FRANCESCO (1599?-1676)

cavalli, or the chestnut of a See also:

HUNDRED

hundred horses, on the slopes of See also:

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount See also:

Etna, a tree which, when measured about 178o by See also:

COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

Count Borch, was found to have a circumference of 190 ft. The See also:

TIMBER

timber bears a striking resemblance to that of the See also:

OAK (O. Eng., (lc)

oak, which has been mistaken for chestnut; but it may be distinguished by the numerous See also:

FINE

fine medullary rays. Unlike oak, the wood is more valuable while young than old. When not more than fifty years old it forms durable posts for fences and See also:

GATES, HORATIO (1728-1806)

gates; but at that See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age it often begins to deteriorate, having See also:

RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring-shakes and central hollows. In a young See also:

state, when the stems are not above 2 in. in See also:

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter at the ground, the chestnut is found to make durable hoops for casks and props for vines; and of a larger size it makes good See also:

HOP (Ger. Hopfen, Fr. houblon)

hop-poles. Chestnuts (the fruit of the tree) are extensively imported into Great See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain, and are eaten roasted or boiled, and mashed or otherwise as a vegetable. In a raw state they have a sweet See also:

TASTE (from Lat. taxare, to touch sharply; tangere, to touch)

taste, but are difficult of digestion. The trees are very abundant in the See also:

south of Europe, and chestnuts bulk largely in the See also:

food resources of the poor in See also:

Spain, See also:

Italy, Switzerland and See also:

Germany.

In Italy the kernels are ground into See also:

MEAL

meal, and used for thickening soups, and even for See also:

BREAD

bread-making. In North America the fruits of an allied species, C. americana, are eaten both raw and cooked.

End of Article: CHESTNUT (nux Castanea)

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