The Trees of The Overstory

Ah yessss, the short stories from the beginning of The Overstory are starting to converge! A quick note: the references to the I-80 truckstop and Sharpless auctions are solid research on Richard Powers' part. I grew up in the area, and <cough> these are not tourist hotspots.

I'm just over halfway (p258 of 502), and well, there have been several references to dolts who can't identify and/or differentiate trees. Dear reader, c'est moi. I've got pine trees vs. deciduous nailed down, and I'm a big fan of ponderosa bark, but that's mostly it. So, let's get to know some of the big (tree) players in The Overstory. 

Nicholas Hoel's story centers around chestnut trees. ArborDay.org only has a listing for Chinese Chestnut due to the blight cited in the book. Wikipedia has a listing for American Chestnut (including a reference to a tree in Coralville, IA at my alma mater)

At present, it is believed that survival of C. dentata for more than a decade in its native range is almost impossible. The fungus uses various oak trees as a host,[16] and while the oak itself is unaffected, American chestnuts nearby will succumb to the blight in approximately a year or more.[17] In addition, the hundreds of chestnut stumps and "living stools" dotting eastern woodlands may still contain active pathogens.

Well, that's pretty heartbreaking. 

There are tiny illustrations at the top of each chapter, but let's see what they look like in slightly larger pictures. Chestnut leaves are serrated and here's a sapling.