Sweet chestnuts and horse chestnuts: 4 differences

Is there a difference between chestnuts and chestnuts or can all chestnuts be eaten? We clarify and present the 4 most important differences.

Chestnuts are a popular fall treat that has many lovers. If the tempting nuts are to be collected in autumn, however, things quickly become overwhelming Uncertainty, because chestnuts are not just chestnuts - only a few chestnut varieties are actually edible. In Germany, the inedible horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), but also the tasty sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) found in many gardens. Fortunately, the distinction between horse chestnuts and sweet chestnuts is not rocket science, because there are actually several identifying features by which the trees differ permit.

characteristic	buckeye	chestnut
Edible	no	Yes
fruit	Round, spherical	Flattened and hairy tip, stigma branches
pericarp	Few hard spines	Lots of soft spines
leaf shape	Fivefold, "hand shape"	Elongated oval, jagged edge
blossom	Striking, upright flower spikes	Inconspicuous flowers resembling willow catkins
heyday	April to June	June to July

Which chestnuts can you eat?

Around twelve species belong to the genus of chestnuts (Castanea) – including the sweet chestnut, the Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata) and the American chestnut (Castanea dentata), all of which are edible for humans. The horse chestnut, which is common in Germany, does not belong to the chestnut family, but to the soap tree family (Sapindaceae) – it is not suitable for consumption as it causes nausea and vomiting.

What is the difference between horse chestnuts and sweet chestnuts?

Unlike chestnuts, horse chestnuts are not edible for humans because they contain toxic saponins. In fact, the two types of chestnuts also differ on the outside: especially in their shape You can see them by their fruits, the fruit skins and the appearance of their leaves and flowers tell apart

Difference 1: fruits

Distinguishing between sweet chestnuts and horse chestnuts is not difficult - in fact, the fruits are enough to tell the two apart. The fruit of the horse chestnut has a particularly spherical and round shape, while the chestnut is flattened and tapers to a point on one side. However, the scar branches at the pointed end of the chestnut are particularly striking - these are often surrounded by brush-like hairs and do not occur in the horse chestnut.

Difference 2: pericarp

The prickly pericarp is one of the most distinctive features by which one can distinguish between horse chestnut and sweet chestnut. Because even if the fruit skins of the chestnuts look confusingly similar at first glance, you can see clear ones on closer inspection Recognizing differences: The horse chestnut has particularly hard and pointed spines on its leathery shell, which hurt if touched carelessly be able. Sweet chestnuts are surrounded by significantly more spines, but these are softer and usually do not injure the skin.

Difference 3: Leaves

If you pay close attention when collecting chestnuts, you can tell from the tree whether they are edible chestnuts. In fact, the leaves of horse chestnuts and sweet chestnuts differ significantly. The leaves of the poisonous horse chestnut usually have five to seven segments and their appearance is very reminiscent of a hand, which is why they are often used for decorative purposes. The leaves of the sweet chestnut, on the other hand, are not multi-part, but hang individually on the branches. Their jagged edge also clearly distinguishes them from the leaves of the horse chestnut.

Difference 4: flowers

Admittedly, if you want to collect chestnuts, the shape and color of the flowers is not a good indicator of edible chestnuts. However, if you want to find out in spring which tree in the area is an edible sweet chestnut, should attach particular importance to the flowers - hardly any other feature is so well suited for distinguishing horse chestnuts and chestnuts. The horse chestnut bears striking, upright, white flower panicles, which make the tree particularly popular as an ornamental plant. The blossoms of the sweet chestnut, on the other hand, are very inconspicuous and strongly reminiscent of willow catkins. The flowering times of the two trees are also different: the inedible rust chestnut flowers from April to June, while the flowers of the edible sweet chestnut only appear between June and July.

In Germany, alongside the sweet and horse chestnuts, the chestnut is one of the most popular types of chestnut because it is considered to be particularly tasty. But only a few know the difference between chestnuts and chestnuts.

What is the difference between chestnuts and chestnuts?

The well-known chestnuts are not an independent species, but a special breed of sweet chestnuts. They differ from these in particular by their significantly more aromatic taste and also by their larger and rounder fruits. In addition, chestnuts are easier to peel, which is why they are better suited for the kitchen. With what tricks Peel the chestnuts well you can find out in this article.