Golden Chinquapin
- Current Stock:
- 0
- Other Names:
- Golden Chinquapin, Giant Chinquapin, Golden Chinkapin
- Latin Name:
- Chrysolepis chrysophylla
The Golden Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) is a stately native evergreen — leaves green above and shining gold beneath — whose spiny burrs hold the same sweet, rich nuts as its bush cousin, on a tree large enough to give shade.2, 4
Edible & Medicinal Uses
Golden Chinquapin bears chestnut-like spiny burrs holding sweet, rich nuts — most like a hazelnut, with a pine-nut echo. Crack and peel them to eat raw or roasted, or use them in confections. As with the bush chinquapin, birds and mammals prize them too.1, 4
Ornamental Qualities
A magnificent evergreen, Golden Chinquapin holds leathery leaves that are deep green above and vivid gold beneath — a shimmer that lasts all year — and bears fuzzy cream catkins in mid-summer ripening to golden-brown burrs. Much larger than the Bush Chinquapin, it grows into a fine shade tree for a front or back yard.1
Environment & Culture
Ecology: Native to the mixed-evergreen forests and foothills of the Northwest and California, Golden Chinquapin is a long-lived, drought-hardy tree whose flowers feed pollinators and whose nuts are an important wildlife food.1, 2
Culture: The sweet nuts are a traditional food gathered and enjoyed by Northwest and California peoples. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.4
In the Kitchen
Collect the ripe burrs (wear gloves), free and peel the nuts, and enjoy them raw, roasted, or in sweets — a sweet, hazelnut-like treat well worth the prickly harvest. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)
Attributes
- Native Range: Northwest & California; mixed-evergreen forest, foothills1
- USDA Zones: ~7–93
- Light: Full sun to part shade1
- Water: Low; drought-tolerant once established1
- Soil: Well-drained; adaptable1
- Habit: Evergreen tree; gold-backed leaves; spiny burrs2
- Edible: Sweet nuts (raw or roasted)4
References
- Native Foods Nursery field notes; CalScape, Chrysolepis chrysophylla.
- Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
- USDA PLANTS Database, Chrysolepis chrysophylla.
- Moerman, D., Native American Ethnobotany, 1998.
Pot Sizing Guide
Planting Guide: Golden Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla)
Tip: Give it room and good drainage — this one grows into a real tree, so site it where its shade and gold-backed evergreen canopy can be enjoyed for decades.
When Your Plant Arrives
Open the box promptly and lift your plant out gently, holding the pot rather than the stem. Leave it in its biodegradable eco-pot for now — the roots are settled and don’t need disturbing yet. Give it a slow, thorough drink until water runs through the bottom, then set it somewhere bright but sheltered, out of harsh afternoon sun, drying wind, and frost. Let it rest and acclimate there for a few days before planting, so the move from our greenhouse to your garden is a gentle one. If anything doesn’t look right, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll take care of you.
Choosing a Site
Light: Full sun to part shade.
Soil: Well-drained and adaptable, on the lean side.
Space: 15–25 ft apart — it becomes a tree.
Planting Steps
Plant in fall or spring.
If it came in a biodegradable eco-pot, plant it pot and all — the pot is pressed from composted cow manure, so it melts into the soil and gives the young roots their first feed. No need to remove it.
Set at the depth it grew, firm, and water in. Avoid soggy ground.
Watering & Care
Establishment: Water the first year or two.
After establishment: Drought-tolerant and low-care.
Maintenance: Minimal; slow-growing and long-lived.
Protection
Deer: Generally tolerant.
Wildlife: Nuts feed birds and mammals; flowers for pollinators.
Handling: Spiny burs — wear gloves at harvest.
Harvest Basics
Season: Nuts ripen in the burs in fall.
Prep: Crack and peel.
Use: Sweet and rich, hazelnut-like with a pine-nut echo — raw or roasted, or in confections.
