Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese chinquapin; Japanese tsuburajii, 円椎) is a species of Castanopsis native to southern Japan and southern Korea.
It is a medium-sized evergreentree 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
Bark of base of mature tree
Tall trunk of mature tree
Slender, fountain-like canopy of mature specimen, viewed from beneath
Mature, deep green leaves
Flowering shoots
Closeup of slender inflorescences
Edible seeds/nuts
Preserved specimen from herbarium, with descriptive notes
^Wasser S. (2004). "Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)". In Coates PM; Blackman M; Cragg GM; White JD; Moss J; Levine MA. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. CRC Press. pp. 653–64. ISBN978-0-8247-5504-1.
External links
"WCSP". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. (enter "Castanopsis cuspidata" in search box).
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