Hua ziang shu
Platycarya strobilacea

Family: Juglandaceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It can be 15-25 m high. It spreads 10 m wide. The bark is yellow-brown with cracks along it. The leaves are 8-30 cm long. The leaf stalk is 1.2-9.2 cm long. There are 1-15 leaflets. The side leaflets do not have leaf stalks. The leaflets taper to a point. The flower spike has female flowers at the base and male flowers at the tip. The female section is 1-3 cm long and the male section is 1-3.5 cm long. There are also male spikes 2-15 cm long. The fruit are like cones and 4 cm long. The nutlets are oval and 3-6 mm long by 3-6 mm wide.

There is one Platycarya species.

Where it is found

It is native to E. Asia. In China it grows in mixed forests on mountain slopes between 400-1400 m altitude. It can be higher. It needs well-drained soil. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Central Asia, China, Indochina, Japan, Korea, SE Asia, Tajikistan, Vietnam

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or by layering.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Fortunaea chinensis Lindley; Platycarya kwangtungensis Chen; Platycarya longipes Wu; Platycarya simplicifolia G.R.Long; Platycarya simplicifolia var. ternata G.R.Long; Platycarya sinensis Mottet; Platycarya strobilacea va. kawakamii Hayata;