Walking the Forest paths yesterday, in the aftermath of a quite violent storm, I kept looking downwards to see what lay above. I didn’t know there was a Sweet Chestnut along here.
Fun fact: The word ‘Chestnut’ ultimately comes from the ancient town of Kastanea in Greece, famed for its chestnut trees. The Latin form gives us the botanical name 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎.
This tree (not this particular one, that would be a sight to see) has been here for so long it is considered a native, and a very welcome immigrant it is too.
The Romans certainly took this tree, as Alexander did before in the opposite direction, with them as their Empire expanded, it being valued for durable timber, edible nuts and excellent coppicing ability. Whether they brought it here is open to speculation; there is little if any evidence of Roman activity in the Forest.