Taiwan chestnut
Castanopsis formosana

Family: Fagaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows to 25 m tall. The trunk is 60 cm across. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and 8-10 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The leaves are silvery grey underneath. The flowers are small. The male and female flowers are separate. The fruit is a solitary nut. It is 1.5 cm long by 1.2 cm wide.

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

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. It grows below 500-600 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The seed are eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, nuts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ca oi dai loan

Synonyms

Castanopsis tribuloides var. formosana Skan;