All about chesnut > Chesnut tree

The chestnut tree that produces the single-kernel chestnut is a tall tree with brittle wood and branches covered with palmate leaves, while the variety that produces the three-kernel nut can reach 35 m in height and has long, serrated, ribbed deciduous leaves and compact clusters (catkins) of flowers. The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is smaller and rarely exceeds 25 metres in height. It has yellowish-white flowers arranged in panicles and its fruit is inedible.

Prickly green cupules called chestnut-burs appear on the tree. When they burst open, a dark, shiny fruit can be seen inside. Each cupule contains two or three flattened triangular seeds or a single large seed that is plumper and tastier, making it highly sought-after.