Category: First discovered in 1904, accidentally introduced from East Asia

  • Extremely Rare

    Extremely rare, but they do exist. American Chestnut (Chestanea dentata). Before 1904, this fast growing, tall tree ruled swaths of eastern US forests. I mention the year 1904 because that is when the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) was first discovered at the New York Zoological Gardens. The blight was introduced to the US by…