American Chestnut- Hybrid?

[Basswood]

Surprised to find this little guy today on a PHC visit. Anyone apt enough with IDing Castenea able to tell if it’s a hybrid or true American?

hopefully will be able to get more shots when it leafs out.

 

[Rob Stafari]

Just here to see what the experts say. Don't mind me, carry along...

 

[oldoakman]

Get good close shots of the buds.

 

[Basswood]

Get good close shots of the buds.

Unfortunately the two in there are best I took. I’ll hopefully be back relatively soon for a take two.

 

[JD3000]

Hybrid

 

[oldoakman]

What is the indicator that indicates it is a hybrid?

 

[KTSmith]

Yes, bud images would help. For American chestnut, I look for leaves with lanceolate tips, that is, that the leaf tip is not just sharp, but is extended...like a lance. Now, not every leaf will necessarily show that characteristic, so look at more than a couple of leaves, which is more than we have here. Also, I expect the sinuses between the teeth of the leaf to be a bit more rounded and deeper and again, on most leaves, to have teeth with a more pronounced curve with some being recurved. So the above is pretty much a ditto to JD, above.

 

[moss]

Tree looks potentially dead! I wonder what the incidence of marcescence is in chestnut species? Any green twigs on it? Also the trunk is "stove-piped", buried root collar. The bark looks good for American Chestnut, the long leaf proportions remind me of American Chestnut. I'll vote hybrid as well without further info.
-AJ

 

[Basswood]

here’s some hopefully better close ups.