Have any of you had a Chinese....

...Chestnut tree? There was one in my backyard when I was growing up. I hated that thing. Those things will tear a foot to shreds. Kind of like stomping on an angry porcupine. Leaves lots of tiny needles deep into the sole of your foot. Go right through the sole of the cheap tenny shoes that kids use to wear. I had to pick up the dang pods when they fell in the fall. Down here in Central Alabama, we would still be cutting the grass in the fall until first frost...usually in later November. I did not care for the chestnut part either. Some of the neighborhood kids, I played with, liked them. They had to pick up some of them to get the nuts and that meant less for me to pick up. Those things were of the devil. I finally got tired of it when I was about 12 and grabbed my best friend and his daddy's crosscut saw and took that big thing down. Parents did not fuss about it when they got home...hallelujah. One thing that tree was fantastic about, the lightening bugs loved it. There would be thousands of them on it at a certain time in the late summer/early fall. I could collect a coke bottle full of them. Enough to read by without a light at night.

I think we had some of those on campus when I was in college. I
don't remember any spikes or spines but it may have been a different
kind of chestnut. What part was it with the needles, the ends of the
leaves?

wife collected the spiny hulls & put'em in flower beds. Keep cats & dogs from using beds for a bathroom.

I've marveled at the fact that the 'coons seem to have no problem ripping off those spiny husks to get the nut inside. Hunger must overrule pain.

I have several and like the Chestnuts,squirrels and other animals get most of the Chestnuts every year but that's fine.Great wildlife tree to plant.

Had 2 of those nasty things when I was a kid. Going barefoot was impossible around them. I would collect the nuts and haul them around with my farm toys. A storm damaged them and the apple trees so dad cut them down. My job was picking up the sticker balls and green apples so the cow would not get into them. If you are wanting to plant some I seen some in a catalogue.

in n al i planted two about 15 years ago and at that age i enjoyed the nuts enough to put up with the mess, age changed that as i could no
longer safely remove the shell to eat the meat. trees are now gone. spring blooms produces a somewhat unpleasant smell as well.

We had about 8 of them lining the driveway growing up in WV. I'd give my right arm to have some here in Texas. In the fall, I'd pick up a pocketful on my way to the bus stop, and eat them while waiting for the bus. For those of you who have never seen them, there are two nuts about the size of the end of your thumb that grow in a spiny hull or burr that is about the size of a tennis ball. The burr turns brown and partially splits open when they ripen around October. The spines are sharp, but you can split them open after you learn how to handle them. With leather gloves, they are no problem.
Chestnuts have a lot of water in them, and fresh chestnuts are very crunchy. As they dry out, the nut meat shrinks and they get rubbery. They are best eaten within a few days of harvest.

Had one in the yard for many years and cut it down. FIL had one and the nuts were good but mine would only drop a lot of spiny hulls, all empty. And do those blossoms stink.

Used to be one in my Grandmother's yard. Her father planted it. It stank when blooming and the spiney balls were murder on the bare feet of a kid. I cut the tree down when I got the property. Wish I hadn't now, for sentimental reasons.

I have a very nice Ohio Buckeye in the back of the yard and several small ones out at the farm. We always called them horse chestnut and they definitely are not edible. They don't have spines on the hulls and they do make a mess when they fall. Squirrels love them and plant them all over the place.

I had forgot about how much the dang things stink in bloom. Now my brain has me smelling that again..ugh. :shock: