Castanopsis wallichii — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Nuts

The seeds are eaten raw, cooked, roasted or used in chocolates and pastries. The subglobose to obovoid seed is 15 - 30mm long and 10 - 20mm wide with a thin shell; one seed is produced per cupule.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in forests at low altitudes.

Asia, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A tall tree. The leaves are small. They are 5-9 cm long. The nuts are in a very spiny case. This is 25-30 mm across.

How to Grow

Castanopsis species are generally tolerant of a range of soils, preferably well-drained. They succeed in full sun, though young plants generally grow best in dappled woodland shade.

Propagation: Seed - easy to germinate if sown fresh. Self-sown seedlings can be transplanted.

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins and can be used as a dye, to weatherproof fibres etc. The branches and stems of many Castanopsis species are used as bed logs in mushroom cultivation. The wood is hard, difficult to work and liable to splitting. The wood is a good fuel and can be used to make charcoal.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Castanopsis wallichii is a species of plant in the family Fagaceae. It is a tree found in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Notes

There are about 120 Castanopsis species. Many have edible nuts.

Names & Synonyms

Berangan duri, Kertak tangga, Ko baan

References (7)

Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 495
Castillo, C., 2013, The Archaeobotany of Khao Sam Kaeo and Phu Khao Thong: The Agriculture of Late Prehistoric Southern Thailand. Ph. D. thesis University College, London p 378
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 16
Milow, P., et al, 2013, Malaysian species of plants with edible fruits or seeds and their evaluation. International Journal of Fruit Science. 14:1, 1-27
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South East Asia) handbook, Volume 2, 1991, Edible fruits and nuts.
Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 125
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew