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Common Name: Dwarf Golden Chinquapin

General Information

Chrysolepis sempervirens is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 3.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

South-western N. America - California and Oregon.

Habitat

Alpine regions of the coastal ranges and the Sierra Nevada[]. Rocky slopes, chaparral and conifer forest, mostly at high elevations up to 3300 metres, but sometimes down to sea level[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a lime-free soil[]. Prefers a sheltered semi-shaded position and a light deep moist soil[, ].
Plants can only be grown in oceanic and Mediterranean climates, thriving in Britain[]. In N. America this plant grows better at low elevations than C. chrysophylla. A specimen at Edinburgh Botanical Gardens is 3.5 metres tall and 6 metres across[].
A very ornamental shrub[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[]. Very sweet and much appreciated, tasting somewhat like a hazel nut[]. The small seed is up to 13mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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.