Seed nuts from Qing — Jade (J-5)

The variety

Qing began as an ordinary yard tree in Hickory, Kentucky, planted some time around 1960 by someone whose name we do not know. Michael Nave named it in 1998, Greg Miller propagated it, and it has since become the standard against which other American chestnuts are judged. The original tree is still there, still bearing heavy crops.

The nuts are medium-large, shiny and dark, and exceptionally sweet — sweeter than most Chinese chestnuts grown in this country. They store unusually well and rarely carry the multiple embryos that spoil a nut's shape.

The tree has a habit we particularly value here. It breaks bud late, which gave it the best spring-frost avoidance of anything in the Missouri trials — useful on a farm with low ground where cold air settles.

One point of honesty: Qing is not a pure Chinese chestnut. It carries Allegheny chinquapin in its parentage, which is very likely where the sweetness comes from.

Jade 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.]