RP has own kastanias

The Tagalogs of Quezon province call it "talakatak." To the Ilocanos of Nueva Vizcaya, it’s simply "kastanias."

Yes, the Philippines has its own "kastanias" tree species, scientifically named Castanopsis philippinensis. The imported nut is called European chestnust (Castanea vulgaris).

The local "kastanias" is endemic or could be found in Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Basilan, Dr. Merilyn Rondolo of the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) told this writer in an interview.

The Philippine chestnust is said to have natural stands in Nueva Vizcaya, particularly in upland communities, in the Land Grant areas of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna, and in some places in Quezon, particularly in Real town (incidentally, one of the municipalities devastated by recent killer floods triggered by strong rains spawned by a series of strong typhoons).

In Real, for instance, some residents began planting the tree in the 1990s when they realized its potential, on the encouragement of UPLB Land Grant officials and staff workers, among them Enric Tolentino Jr.

It also was gathered that some people in the interior towns of Laguna often collected the nuts from the wild and sold them in Divisoria.

The local "kastanias" fruit contains an edible, oblong nut 3.5 centimeters long, said Dr. Rondolo. Its mature fruits are available during the rainy season (September to December) in Quezon and Nueva Ecija.

Like the European chestnut, the Philippine "kastanias" also belongs to the Fagaceas family. A big tree, it reaches a height of 28 meters and has a diameter of 100 cm.

"Growing kastanias can be economically rewarding," said Dr. Rondolo. It may help generate job opportunities, particularly for rural families and related industries. – Rudy A. Fernandez