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Chrysolepis - (Douglas. ex Hook.)Hjelmq.                
                 
Common Name Golden Chinquapin
Family Fagaceae
Synonyms Castanea chrysophylla. Castanopsis chrysophylla.
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Forested slopes near the coast in California[71]. Found in many soil types ranging from dry and rocky to deep rich soils[229].
Range South-western N. America - Washington to Oregon and California.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade

Summary       

Physical Characteristics       
 icon of manicon of cone
Chrysolepis is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in) at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower in July. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind, midges.


Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Chrysolepis Golden Chinquapin


http://www.flickr.com/people/44124284226@N01
Chrysolepis Golden Chinquapin
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nick
   
Habitats       
Edible Uses                                         
Seed - raw or cooked[22, 46]. Very sweet and much appreciated[63, 71, 82, 105, 183]. The seed can also be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in soups, mixed with cereals when making bread etc[257]. The seed is about 1cm long and has a hard shell[183].
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.



None known
Other Uses
Wood - fine-grained, light, soft, not strong. Occasionally used for making ploughs and other agricultural implements, and also as a fuel[46, 61, 82, 229].
Cultivation details                                         
Requires a lime-free soil[1]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shaded position and a light deep moist soil[1, 11]. A very ornamental tree[183], it is slow to moderate growing and can live 400 - 500 years in the wild[229]. One report says that this species only succeeds in Oceanic and Mediterranean climates[200]. 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[11]. 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[229]. There are trees 16 metres tall in Surrey and Buckinghamshire[11], it also fruits in Cornwall[59] and fruits well in addition to self-sowing at Edinburgh botanical gardens[11]. Flowers are produced on the current years growth, the seed taking two summers to mature[229]. The catkins have an unpleasant hawthorn-like smell to attract midges for their pollination[245]. This species resists chestnut blight[200].
                                                                                 
Propagation                                         
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, the seed must be protected from mice etc[200]. 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.
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Expert comment                                         
 
      
Author                                         
(Douglas. ex Hook.)Hjelmq.
                                                                                 
Botanical References                                         
1171200
                                                                                 
Links / References                                         

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[22]Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[59]Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.
Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.
[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[63]Howes. F. N. Nuts.
Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
[71]Munz. A California Flora.
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
[82]Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America.
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.
[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[229]Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History.
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[257]Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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