ABSTRACT
The American chinkapin is native to the southeastern United States, especially the Appalachian Mountain range. It is found from southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania south to central Florida, west to eastern Texas, and north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. The Ozark chinkapin was once present in Alabama but has been eliminated there by the chestnut blight. The nuts of American chinkapin are sweet and can be eaten raw. Some authorities claim that when they are baked they are even sweeter, with a floury texture. The chinkapin is closely related to the American chestnut, a species that was once an important source of chestnuts but was almost exterminated from North America by a fungus. There remains hope that one day the American chestnut industry can be revived, and the chinkapin may play a role in this, as some forms of it are moderately resistant to the fungus and this resistance could be transferred to the American chestnut by hybridization.
