'''Castanea sativa''' <ref name="Castanea sativa"/> , or '''sweet chestnut''', is a species of flowering [[Flowering plant ]] in the family '''Fagaceae''', native to '''Europe''' and '''Asia Minor''', and widely cultivated throughout the '''temperate world'''. A '''''substantial, long-lived deciduous tree''''', it produces an ''edible seed, the chestnut'', which has been used in cooking since '''''ancient times'''''.