Green hook castanopsis
Castanopsis kawakamii

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 30-40 m high. The trunk is 1-1.5 m across. The young shoots are reddish brown. The leaf stalk is 1-2.5 cm long. The leaf blade is oval to sword shaped. It is 6-12 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. Leaves become leathery with age. The base of the leaf is wedge shaped or rounded and unequal on each side of the midrib. The tip is heart shaped. There are 9-12 veins on each side of the midrib. The female flower arrangement is 5-10 cm across. The cup is 6-8 cm across and splits into 4 or 5 segments as it matures. The fruit is a nut. It is 1.7-2.1 cm across. It has dense orange brown hairs.

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

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows between 800-1,000 m altitude. Seedlings demand light.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit or nut is edible raw.

Edible parts

Fruit, nuts

How it is grown

It grows quickly when young.

Its other names

Local names

Ca oi qua to, Diao pi zhui

Synonyms

Castanopsis greenii Chun; Castanopsis oerstedii Hickel & A. Camus;