Practical
Plants

Chrysolepis chrysophylla

Golden Chinquapin

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Chrysolepis genus in the family Fagaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Fagaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
20 m
Fertility
Wind, Midges
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind, Midges

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - raw or cooked[6][10]. Very sweet and much appreciated[13][14][15][2][4]. The seed can also be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in soups, mixed with cereals when making bread etc[9]. The seed is about 1cm long and has a hard shell[4].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Wood - fine-grained, light, soft, not strong. Occasionally used for making ploughs and other agricultural implements, and also as a fuel[10][12][15][7].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - Washington to Oregon and California.
Habitat
Forested slopes near the coast in California[14]. Found in many soil types ranging from dry and rocky to deep rich soils[7].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, the seed must be protected from mice etc[5]. The seed has a short viability and should not be allowed to dry out. If stored overwinter it should be kept cool and moist. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a lime-free soil[1]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shaded position and a light deep moist soil[1][3]. A very ornamental tree[4], it is slow to moderate growing and can live 400 - 500 years in the wild[7]. One report says that this species only succeeds in Oceanic and Mediterranean climates[5]. This species has a very wide natural range in N. America, seeds should be tried from various provenances to find more suitable selections for Britain[3]. Another report says that the plant is only found in a small area of California and Oregon, but that it grows on a wide range of soil types[7]. There are trees 16 metres tall in Surrey and Buckinghamshire[3], it also fruits in Cornwall[11] and fruits well in addition to self-sowing at Edinburgh botanical gardens[3]. Flowers are produced on the current years growth, the seed taking two summers to mature[7]. The catkins have an unpleasant hawthorn-like smell to attract midges for their pollination[8]. This species resists chestnut blight[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  7. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  8. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  11. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩

  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  13. Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948-00-00

    ↩

  14. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  15. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

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