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Name: Kay
Status: educator
Grade: 4-5
Location: VA
Country: USA
Date: Fall 2011
Question:
I gathered some fallen Chinese chestnuts, still in the burr, for my students--a nice big chestnut inside each burr. Seven days later I went back for more. This time, inside all the burrs were 4 little things that looked like miniature chestnuts; I pried them out and left them to cure, and they dried up somewhat; not worth fooling with. What caused this? Could they have developed from unpollinated flowers?


Replies:
Sounds like these are undeveloped nuts:

http://www.vatacf.org/sciencefiles/chestnutID.pdf

Sincerely,

Anthony R. Brach Missouri Botanical Garden & Harvard University Herbaria




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