Castanea mollissima

Castanea mollissima

(Tianmu Zhi Zhi, Zhejiang)

[synonym] Castanopsis carlesii.

[source] it is the fruit of Castanopsis fissa.

[plant morphology] Castanopsis fargesii, also known as thick fruit, Castanopsis henryi, Castanopsis monkey, Castanopsis macrophylla.

Evergreen large trees, up to 25 meters high. Bark dark gray or reddish brown; young branches glabrous. The leaves are oblong, 18-25 cm long and 8-12 cm wide, with caudate apex and cuneate base, coarsely serrate and thick leathery margin above the middle, densely covered with yellowish brown scaly villi below, and silver gray after abscission; the petioles are stout, 2-4 cm long, glabrous. The male inflorescence is 15-20 cm long and the female inflorescence is 14 cm long. Female flowers solitary in involucre. Fruit 1-4 cm in diam., 2-4 cm in clusters, 1-4 cm in diam. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruit period is from August to October.

It grows in the mountains and forests. It is distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong and Guangxi.

[collection] harvest in autumn when the fruit is ripe.

[function indications] "zhejianmu yam Zhi Zhi": "treating dysentery: the fruit (shelling) is made into starch by water grinding and dried in the sun. When taking starch, mix it into a paste with warm water, add sugar, and then rinse it with water. "