Soi tru
Quercus macrocalyx

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 20-25 m tall. The trunk is 60-80 cm across. The bark is smooth and grey. The leaves are large and long. The nut is oval and 5-5.5 cm long by 2.5 cm wide.

There are about 600 Quercus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical evergreen forests at 500-1,000 m altitude. It occurs on slopes and mountain tops.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, Laos, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The starch in the nut is edible. It is also used to distill alcohol. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

Nuts are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Nuts

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds.

It grows slowly.

Its other names

Local names

Ko ko, Ko pook

Synonyms

Cyclobalanopsis austroyunnanensis Hu; Cyclobalanopsis fleuryi (Hickel & A. Camus) W. T. Chun; Cyclobalanopsis macrocalyx (Hickel & A. Camus) M. Deng & Z. K. Zhou; Cyclobalanopsis nengpulaensis H. Li & Y. C. Hsu; Quercus fleuryi Hickel & A. Camus; Quercus megalocarpa A. Camus; Quercus tsoi Chun ex Menitsky;