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Common Name: Golden Chinquapin

General Information

Chrysolepis chrysophylla is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 20.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

South-western N. America - Washington to Oregon and California.

Habitat

Forested slopes near the coast in California[]. Found in many soil types ranging from dry and rocky to deep rich soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind, midges
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a lime-free soil[]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shaded position and a light deep moist soil[, ].
A very ornamental tree[], it is slow to moderate growing and can live 400 - 500 years in the wild[]. One report says that this species only succeeds in Oceanic and Mediterranean climates[]. 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[]. 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[]. There are trees 16 metres tall in Surrey and Buckinghamshire[], it also fruits in Cornwall[] and fruits well in addition to self-sowing at Edinburgh botanical gardens[].
Flowers are produced on the current years growth, the seed taking two summers to mature[]. The catkins have an unpleasant hawthorn-like smell to attract midges for their pollination[].
This species resists chestnut blight[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[, ]. Very sweet and much appreciated[, , , , ]. The seed can also be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in soups, mixed with cereals when making bread etc[]. The seed is about 1cm long and has a hard shell[].

Medicinal

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[, , , ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, the seed must be protected from mice etc[]. 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.