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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Chrysolepis chrysophylla

Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) Hjelmqvist

Giant Chinquapin, Golden Chinkapin

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: CHCH7

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Evergreen tree with straight trunk, becoming grooved or fluted, and with stout, spreading branches and broad, rounded crown; also a shrub variety.

A handsome tree with a massive trunk, this species attains a large size. The showy, whitish blossoms have a strong odor. The edible nuts, like small chestnuts, borne in small quantities, are usually consumed by chipmunks and ground squirrels.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: Up to about 100 feet tall. Sometimes up to 150 feet in cool moist areas.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: CA , OR , WA
Native Distribution: Pacific Coast region from SW. Washington south in Coast Ranges to central California; also local in the Sierra Nevada of central California; to 1500' (457 m); shrub variety to 6000' (1829 m).
Native Habitat: Gravelly and rocky soils in mountain slopes and canyons in Redwood and evergreen forests. Shrub variety on dry ridges in chaparral and Knobcone Pine forests.

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 37 - Calscape (2019) California Native Plant Society
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Chrysolepis chrysophylla in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chrysolepis chrysophylla in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chrysolepis chrysophylla

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-11-07
Research By: TWC Staff

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