Castanopsis cuspidata
| Castanopsis cuspidata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 82' |
| Width: | 33' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Castanopsis cuspidata (common name: japanese chinquapin)
Propagation: Seed - requires a period of cold stratification and is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. The seed has a short viability and should not be allowed to dry out. It can be stored for a few months if kept cool and moist (putting it in a plastic bag that is placed in the salad compartment of a fridge works well). Stored seed should be soaked in warm water for 24 - 48 hours prior to sowing[1]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c[1]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and plant them out in mid summer if possible, otherwise grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring. Give the young plants some protection from cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cultivation: Prefers a good deep medium to stiff loam[2]. Requires a sheltered position in semi-shade and a lime-free soil[1].
Although cold hardy in Britain, this species really requires a warm continental climate if it is to prosper and it does not do well in the maritime climate of this country[3]. It succeeds in the London area but does not attain its full size there[4]. It grows well in S.W. England[4].
The catkins have an unpleasant hawthorn-like smell to attract midges for their pollination[5].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat: Woods and ravines, especially near the sea in western China[6].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[7][8][9][10][11]. The cotyledon of the nut is eaten boiled or roasted[12].
Pollinators: Wind, midges
Soil: Can grow in medium and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: Quercus cuspidata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.