Castanopsis cuspidata

Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese chinquapin; Japanese tsuburajii, 円椎) is a species of Castanopsis native to southern Japan and southern Korea.

Castanopsis cuspidata
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Fagaceae
Genus:	Castanopsis
Species:	C. cuspidata
Binomial name
Castanopsis cuspidata (Thunb.) Schottky
Synonyms
Pasania cuspidata (Thunb.) Oerst. Pasaniopsis cuspidata (Thunb.) Kudô Quercus cuspidata Thunb.

It is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 20–30 m tall, related to beech and oak. The leaves are 5–9 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, leathery in texture, with an entire or irregularly toothed margin. It grows in woods and ravines, especially near the sea.

The cotyledon of the nut is eaten boiled or roasted.

Its dead wood serves as host to many mushroom types, most notably the shiitake, whose Japanese name (椎茸) is composed of shii (椎, the Castanopsis tree), and take (茸, "mushroom").^[2]

Gallery

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  Bark of base of mature tree
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  Tall trunk of mature tree
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  Slender, fountain-like canopy of mature specimen, viewed from beneath
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  Mature, deep green leaves
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  Flowering shoots
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  Closeup of slender inflorescences
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  Edible seeds/nuts
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  Preserved specimen from herbarium, with descriptive notes
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  Dead trunk, with fruiting bodies of shiitake