The Flora of Mount Shasta
ChinquapinBeech Family (Fagaceae) Castanopsis sempervirens
Growth Form: A low, spreading , round-topped evergreen
Flower: Unisexual, male flowers in catkins 1" to 3" long, female flowers cluster below male catkin.
Blooms: July and August
Leaves: Oblong to slightly elliptic, 1" to 3" long, golden on underside.
Fruit: 1 to 3 nuts enclosed in a sharply spiny bur.
Stem: Smooth gray or brown
Height: Up to 9 feet
Found: Dry mountain ridges or in open rocky areas, Klamath, Cascade, Sierra Nevada, North Coast ranges
Tidbits: Stump-sprouts readily after fire or cutting. Native Americans harvested the nuts for food.
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