| Ozark chinkapin | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Fagaceae |
| Genus: | Castanea |
| Species: | C. ozarkensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Castanea ozarkensis | |
 | |
| Natural range ofCastanea ozarkensis | |
| Synonyms | |
Castanea pumila var.ozarkensis | |
Castanea ozarkensis, also known as theOzark chinkapin (also spelled chinquapin), is a species of tree that is native to the United States.[3] It is in theCastanea genus that includeschestnuts and types of chestnut known as chinkapins.
Castanea ozarkensis was described byWilliam Willard Ashe and published in theBulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 50 (11): 360-361. 1923.[4]
Some authorities consider it a variant of theAllegheny chinkapin (C. pumila) asC. pumila ozarkensis.
It grows in theOzark Mountains andOuachita Mountains ofMissouri,Arkansas,Texas,Louisiana andOklahoma.[3] It is possiblyextirpated fromAlabama.
The nuts it produces provided food for indigenous people, early settlers, and various animals includingeastern gray squirrel,chipmunk,white-tailed deer,turkey, andbobwhite quail.[3]
Castanea ozarkensis is susceptible tochestnut blight and has been devastated by the disease, and largely now grows only as a small tree or shrub.[3] However, several mature individuals have survived the blight, with over 45 such individuals located so far since the 2000s. The discovery of these specimens has spurred an ongoing project to restore the species by using the offspring of these trees, headed by the Ozark Chinkapin Foundation.[5] An analysis has also found that Ozark chinkapin populations contain far more genetic diversity than those of theAmerican chestnut, which was also devastated by the chestnut blight. The study also found that the Ozark chinkapin may actually be ancestral to the American chestnut and Allegheny chinkapin, rather than the other way around.[6][5] Another study has found that the surviving Ozark chinkapins are even more resistant to the chestnut blight than theChinese chestnut, which is not affected by the blight.[5]
A large individual, designated a Champion Tree, grows inBarry County, Missouri.[7]
The Ozark Chinquapin Foundation has now created highly blight resistance Castanea Ozarkensis tree.
