Japanese wingnut, Shui hu tao
Pterocarya rhoifolia

Family: Juglandaceae

What it is like

A deciduous tree. It grows to 30 m tall. It spreads 18 m wide. The bark is dark grey and develops cracks along it with age. The leaves have an odd number of leaflets. They are 20-25 cm long. The leaf stalk is 3-7 cm long. It is hairy. There are 11-21 leaflets. The leaflet blade is 6-12 cm long by 1.5-4 cm wide. They are dark green and glossy above and turn yellow in autumn. The male and female flowers are separate on the same plant. They are both in green catkins which hang down. The male catkins are 7.5 cm long and at the base of the young shoots. The female catkins are at the tip. The fruiting spike is 20-30 cm long. The axis is hairy. The nutlets are 8-9 mm long

Where it is found

It is native to Japan. They grow in wet areas along riverbanks. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Japan, Korea

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, nuts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Pterocarya sorbifolia Siebold & Zuccarini;