Chestnut which are mildly poisonous to humans. Nor should they be confused with water chestnut, which are tubers of an aquatic herbaceous plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. Other trees commonly mistaken for chestnut trees are the chestnut oak ("Quercus prinus") and the American beech ("Fagus grandifolia"), both of which are also in the Fagaceae. The name "chestnut" is derived from an earlier English term "chesten nut", which descends from the Old French word "chastain" (Modern French, "châtaigne"). The French word in turn derives from Latin "Castanea" (also the scientific name of the tree), which traces to the Ancient Greek word
Nyssa sylvatica a large deep taproot when young that makes transplanting difficult. Because of this, it is fairly uncommon in cultivation and the nursery trade. Additional characteristics include: "Nyssa sylvatica" grows in various uplands and in alluvial stream bottoms from southwestern Maine and New York, to extreme southern Ontario, central Michigan, Illinois, and central Missouri, south to southern Florida, eastern Texas, and eastern Oklahoma. It also occurs locally in central and southern Mexico. Optimum development is made on lower slopes and terraces in the Southeastern United States. "Nyssa sylvatica" is found in a variety of upland and wetland habitats in its extensive