I found a chestnut tree that began growing this spring in a pile of decomposing leaf litter. It was growing in the leaves along with several other young chestnut trees. I uprooted the tree and put it in a pot because the chestnut tree is completely white! It was growing alongside normal green chestnut trees. I've been trying to find out why it's white, and most explanations lead to it having some sort of disease or fungus. However the leaves aren't fuzzy or anything, the white colour doesn't rub off, the tree is completely healthy, and the leaves, veins, and even a part of the trunk is white. Does anyone know why this chestnut tree is white?
I also had/have a couple of seedlings of Aesculus flava that are not completely white but look variegated. I am thinking they are diseased in some way but watch it. You may have a NEW cultivar! Do you have a picture? (these are whiter striped in person)
Here's some pictures of it. The tree seems healthy other than perhaps the newest leaves looking a bit thin, but the two big one's were like that and then they grew to normal size.
Like the other one shown this is an Aesculus rather than a Castanea, the latter being what is customarily called a chestnut. Unless someone else knows better it seems it may still be living off of the nutrients in the fruit and liable to expire later unless it converts to green. If it persists it still needs to be grown and observed for some years (the longer the better) before it is concluded it is a useful variant, many variegated seedlings of other kinds of trees sooner or later become mostly green with age.
That is so cool They really put mine to shame. I have no idea what is making them that way but hope they stay that way.
That Horse-chestnut seedling will die as soon as the stored food reserves in the seed are finished, unless it can start producing some chlorophyll.
Thanks for all the responses! I agree that the tree is probably living off the stored nutrients and I hope that it either turns green or stays white and continues to grow (the latter would be better). I'll continue to look after it and hopefully it won't die. I'll update on what happens, thanks again!
