Common Name:

General Information

Lithocarpus pachyphyllus is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 25 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern and central China, Nepal, northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar

Habitat

Broad-leaved evergreen and mixed forests, mixed mesophytic forests; at elevations from 800 - 3,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Lithocarpus pachyphyllus is not a very cold-hardy tree, tolerating temperatures down to around -5°c when dormant. All of the hardier members of the genus seem to appreciate mild and moist conditions, and like to be as warm as possible in the summer[]
Grows best in a warm sheltered position, but not one where it can be scorched in full sun. A site with a high canopy is advisable, at least when the trees are young[]. It prefers a deep fertile soil with medium drainage[].
Young plants tolerate reasonable levels of side shade[]. Tolerates moderate exposure, surviving well but being somewhat stunted[].
Intolerant of root disturbance, trees should be planted in their permanent positions whilst young[].
The seed takes two growing seasons to mature[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of the genus[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. The depressed-globose seed can be 12 - 20mm long and 15 - 30mm wide[]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed contains bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency.

The roasted seed can be used as a coffee substitute.

Medicinal

The seeds and bark are astringent[, ].

Any galls produced on the tree are strongly astringent and can be used in the treatment of haemorrhages, chronic diarrhoea, dysentery etc[].

Other Uses

A mulch of the leaves repels slugs, grubs etc, though fresh leaves should not be used as these can inhibit plant growth[].

Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff[].

Wood - durable, moderately hard. Used for planking, shovels etc[].

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool overwinter but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.