Seed nuts from Chandler — Cassandra (C-6)

The variety

Chandler was discovered in South Carolina and is prized for large nuts of high quality. It is carried by Empire Chestnut Company in Ohio and Route 9 Cooperative holds a graft, but it has never been formally written up in the research literature.

What makes it interesting to us is a note from Michael Nave: Chandler seedlings often bear nuts similar to the mother tree. That is not the norm. Most chestnuts are wildly variable from seed, which is the whole reason growers historically reached for grafting. A line that comes reasonably true from seed is worth paying attention to in a seedling orchard like ours.

It is also genuinely scarce. Across Greg Miller's cooperative breeding program — more than 12,500 trees in fifteen states — only ten Chandler trees were planted. Ours are among a very small number anywhere.

Cassandra in 2026

[TO BE WRITTEN — 2026 Ellington observations: bur set in the hard 2026 season, first drop date, nut size, shell splitting, whether burs drop whole.]

The tree

[TO BE WRITTEN — the mother tree's own note: where it stands and anything particular about it.]