Castanopsis boisii

Hickel & A. Camus

De yen the

Fagaceae Edible: Nuts

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Description

A medium sized tree. It grows 15-20 m high. The trunk is straight. The branches are long, dry and brittle and curve downwards. The leaves are hairy underneath with scale like processes. The leaf stalk is 1.5-2 cm long. The leaf blade is oval or oblong. It is 9-18 cm long by 4-6 cm wide. It is thickly papery. There are 13-17 side veins on each side. The female flowering stalk is 27 cm long. The cup is oval and 2.5-3 cm across. The outside is hairy. There is one or occasionally 2 nuts per cup. They are oval and 1.2-1.4 cm long by 0.9-1.2 cm wide.

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked. A sweet flavour. The broadly ovoid seed is up to 14 - 12mm. It is contained, singly or in pairs, inside a spiny seedcase.

Traditional Uses

The seeds can be eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows on low hills below 300-400 m altitude. It is light demanding. They grow in broad leafed evergreen forest between 1000-1500 m altitude in Southern China.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Castanopsis species are generally tolerant of a range of soils, preferably well-drained. They succeed in full sun, though young plants generally grow best in dappled woodland shade.

Propagation

Seed - easy to germinate if sown fresh. Self-sown seedlings can be transplanted.

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins and can be used as a dye, to weatherproof fibres etc. The branches and stems of many Castanopsis species are used as bed logs in mushroom cultivation. The wood is a good fuel and can be used to make charcoal.

Production

It is a fast growing tree.

Notes

There are about 120 Castanopsis species. Many have edible nuts.

Synonyms

Castanopsis hamata DuanmuCastanopsis megaphylla Hu 1948 not 1940

Also Known As

De an qua, Lan qiao zhui

References (6)

Huang Chengjiu, Zhang Yongtian, Bartholomew, B., Fagaceae, Flora of China.
Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, 1996, Vietnam Forest Trees. Agriculture Publishing House p 252
Uphof,
Usher,
Van Sam, H. et al, 2008, Uses and Conservation of Plant Species in a National Park. A case study of Ben En, Vietnam. Economic Botany 62:574-593

Show all 6 references