Actually the original American Chestnuts still survive in limited numbers. The nuts we had were American chestnuts. There was(is) a very large one on the farm next to the one we owned. We collected nuts from it every year. We planted the nuts by heeling them in. About one in a 100 grew. Some died off quickly some otherslived quite a while and about 8 have been there since the 1960s and 70s. The old saw about spreading chestnut tree is just that. In a woods they grow straight and tall. When we sold the place in 2005 we had some 8 yr old trees that were 35 ft tall...skinny but tall. American chestnuts look different than Chinese type...and taste better. The large trees don't bear every year and the squirrels hardly let a nut hit the ground