Chrysolepis chrysophylla
| Chrysolepis chrysophylla | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 66' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chrysolepis chrysophylla (common name: golden chinquapin)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, the seed must be protected from mice etc[1]. 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: Requires a lime-free soil[2]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shaded position and a light deep moist soil[2][3].
A very ornamental tree[4], it is slow to moderate growing and can live 400 - 500 years in the wild[5]. One report says that this species only succeeds in Oceanic and Mediterranean climates[1]. 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[5]. There are trees 16 metres tall in Surrey and Buckinghamshire[3], it also fruits in Cornwall[6] 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[5]. The catkins have an unpleasant hawthorn-like smell to attract midges for their pollination[7].
This species resists chestnut blight[1].
Range: South-western N. America - Washington to Oregon and California.
Habitat: Forested slopes near the coast in California[8]. Found in many soil types ranging from dry and rocky to deep rich soils[5].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[9][10]. Very sweet and much appreciated[11][8][12][13][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[14]. The seed is about 1cm long and has a hard shell[4].
Usage: Wood - fine-grained, light, soft, not strong. Occasionally used for making ploughs and other agricultural implements, and also as a fuel[10][15][12][5].
Pollinators: Wind, midges
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: Castanea chrysophylla. Castanopsis chrysophylla.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Thurston, Edgar. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. Cambridge University Press, 1930.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.