Thirty-six morphological traits in a sample of 114 mature seedlings derived from intraspecific and interspecific crosses of European chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) were studied using analysis of variance, principal component and cluster analyses. The traits evaluated were selected on the basis of a preliminary study of the variability in half-sib and full-sib chestnut progenies and come from various official and unofficial descriptors used for the characterization of chestnut cultivars and "wild" chestnut types. Thirty morphological and phenological descriptors with their priority status (I - III) were determined using discriminatory value of characteristics and their importance for fruit production. The naming of descriptors was clarified and the descriptor list modified to provide a reduced, partially extended and complete list.