Soi gan day, Mi mai ke
Lithocarpus fordianus

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

A small evergreen tree. It grows 10-15 m high. The young branches have yellow hairs. The leaf stalk is 1-3 cm long. The leaf blade is oblong and 10-25 cm long by 3-9 cm wide. It is thickly papery. The leaf is the same colour on both sides. There are 20-28 veins each side of the main vein. The flowers are usually of both sexes with the male flowers on the top half. The fruit is a nut which is half round and 2.5-3.3 cm across. It is 1.7-2 cm high. It is greyish yellow and hairy at the tip.

There are about 300 Lithocarpus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in mountainous regions in North Vietnam from 800 to 1,500 m altitude. It needs shade when young. It needs fertile, deep, moist soil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The nut contains edible starch.

Edible parts

Fruit, nuts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Quercus fordianus (Hemsley)Chun; Synaedrys fordiana (Hemsley)Koidzumi;