Wildflowers Found in Oregon

Chinquapin (golden chinkapin, giant evergreen chinkapin, chinkapin, golden-leaf chestnut)

Castanopsis chrysophylla - Giant chinkapin, an evergreen member of the beech family (Fagaceae), is the only tree-sized species of its genus found in the United States. Most of about 110 different species of Castanopsis occur in China, India, and Malaysia. With its dense, evergreen foliage (bright golden-yellow on the underside of the leaf) giant chinkapin is a distinctive, although minor, component of mixed-evergreen forests in western Oregon. Mature giant chinkapin are typically 60 to 80 ft tall (150 ft maximum) and 12 to 30 in. in DBH (96 in. maximum). Chinkapin may live 400 to 500 years. Young giant chinkapins often develop a taproot, while older trees have a well-developed lateral root system. The total volume of giant chinkapin in Oregon is about 86 MMCF and is about equally divided between the West-Central and Southwest subregions.