**Botanical Description and Taxonomy**:
– Castanea sativa can reach a height of 20–35 meters with a trunk often 2m in diameter.
– The bark has a net-shaped pattern with deep furrows running spirally.
– Leaves are oblong-lanceolate, boldly toothed, 16–28 cm long, and 5–9 cm broad.
– Flowers of both sexes are borne in upright catkins, with female flowers developing into spiny cupules.
– The nut has two skins: an external shiny brown part and an edible creamy-white part.
– Common names include Spanish chestnut or marron.
– Selected varieties like Marigoule, Marisol, and Maraval have different growth characteristics.
– Some cultivars yield earlier in life with different ripening times.
**Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology**:
– Native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, found across the Mediterranean region.
– Grown on 2,250,000 hectares of forest in Europe in 2004.
– Requires a mild climate, adequate moisture, and is sensitive to frosts.
– Tolerates moderate shade well under forest conditions.
– Leaves provide food for animals like Lepidoptera and North American rose chafer.
– Major fungal pathogens include chestnut blight and ink disease.
– Some cultivars are resistant to ink disease.
– Gall wasp and Phytophthora cambivora are serious pests.
**Cultivation and Post-Harvest Treatment**:
– Three cultivation systems include coppicing, Selve, and high forest.
– Optimal growth on limestone-free, deeply weathered soil with pH between 4.5 and 6.
– Seeds must be stratified before planting for germination.
– Water curing and hot water treatment are common post-harvest methods.
– Stored in a controlled environment with high carbon dioxide concentrations after treatment.
**Uses and Nutritional Composition**:
– Cultivated for edible seeds and wood.
– Used for flour, boiling, roasting, drying, and sweets.
– Sweet chestnuts have low fat content dominated by unsaturated fatty acids.
– Good source of starch, copper, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium.
– High moisture content ranging from 41% to 59% and sugar content from 14% to 20% dry weight.
**History, Cultivation Evolution, and Decline**:
– Pollen data suggests spreading of C. sativa around 2100–2050 B.C. in Anatolia, Greece, and Bulgaria.
– Chestnut use increased in the Middle Ages but declined in the 20th century due to various factors.
– Recent revival in cultivation due to high-value products and changing urban needs.
– Spread of chestnut blight and ink disease contributed to the decline.
– Contradictory evidence exists on Roman spreading of C. sativa and its cultivation in Roman Britain.