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
Carex sylvatica York and North Carolina, and to New Zealand, where it was first recorded in 1969. In its native range, "C. sylvatica" lives in deciduous woodlands on heavy soils; it is sometimes found in unwooded areas, but usually only as a relic of ancient woodland. In North America, it is generally found in disturbed areas within deciduous woodland. "Carex sylvatica" was first described by the English botanist William Hudson in his 1762 work "Flora Anglica". Hybrids have been reported between "C. sylvatica" and "C. strigosa" (in France) and between "C. sylvatica" and "C. hirta" (in Austria). Its English common name is