The Flora of Mount Shasta Chinquapin Beech Family (Fagaceae) Castanopsis sempervirens

Growth Form: A low, spreading , round-topped evergreen shrub

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.