Castanopsis formosana

(Skan) Hayata

Taiwan chestnut

Fagaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds, Nuts 307 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Description

An evergreen tree. It grows to 25 m tall. The trunk is 60 cm across. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and 8-10 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The leaves are silvery grey underneath. The flowers are small. The male and female flowers are separate. The fruit is a solitary nut. It is 1.5 cm long by 1.2 cm wide.

Edible Uses

The seeds and nuts are eaten.

Traditional Uses

The seed are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. It grows below 500-600 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam,

Notes

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

Synonyms

Castanopsis tribuloides var. formosana Skan

Also Known As

Ca oi dai loan

References (3)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 640
Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, 1996, Vietnam Forest Trees. Agriculture Publishing House p 259
Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 343