Cleidiocarpon cavaleriei
(Leeille.) Airy-Shaw
Butterfly fruit, Mountain chestnut
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) 刘光裕 Liu Guangyu, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 刘光裕 Liu Guangyu
Description
A large evergreen tree. It grows 15-30 m tall. The trunk is 40-100 cm across. The twigs are covered with hairs. The leaves are narrowly oval and 11-16 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They taper to the tip and are wedge shaped at the base. The young leaves have hairs underneath. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same tree. The fruit are oblique and 3-4 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They have greyish hairs.
Edible Uses
The fruit are eaten fresh. The seeds are boiled and eaten. An edible oil can be extracted from the fruit.
Traditional Uses
The fruit is eaten. An edible oil can be extracted from the fruit. The seeds are boiled and eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in Northern Vietnam below 700 m altitude. In southern China it grows between 100-1,000 m above sea level. It grows on limestone. It requires sunlight. In XTBG Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Indochina, Myanmar, SE Asia, Vietnam,
Production
Trees grow quickly. In China plants flower and fruit may to November. The fruit is 30% edible oil.
Notes
There are only 2 Cleidiocarpon species.
Also Known As
Den, Lard nut
References (2)
- Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 510
- Oldfield, S., et al, 1998, The World List of Threatened Trees. World Conservation Press. p 126
