Allegheny Chickapin is a shrub or small tree found in the foothills of East Tennessee and on the Cumberland Plateau. Its range extends from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey, south to Florida, and west to Texas and Oklahoma. It is closely related to American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) and Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima). The species has a number of varieties, some populations of which are susceptible to Chestnut Blight, which eliminated American Chestnut as one of the dominant trees of the eastern deciduous forest. Other Chinkapin populations are at least somewhat resistant to this disease. Allegheny Chinkapin may grow as high as 65 ft, but typically it is a shrub only growing to heights of 30 ft or less. Its oblong leaves have fine to coarse, bristle-tipped teeth along their margins and are densely pubescent underneath. The shrub produces showy unisexual male catkins that are as long or longer than the leaves. Shorter bisexual catkins bear female flowers at their base and male flowers along the rest of the axis. The fruits, consisting of bristly husks (burs), contain 1-3 nuts and are considered by some to be tastier than the American Chestnut. They are a prime food for a variety of wildlife.

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