Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Synonyms
Family
Food - Nuts are edible.
Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal
It grows well in the broad-leaved evergreen forests at altitudes of 1000-1700 m asl.
Associated with traditional agroforestry systems; is often cultivated for nuts and coppiced for firewood.
It is an evergreen tree with a broadly rounded crown and can grow up to 30 m tall.
Straight bole can be up to 100 cm in diameter. Bark brownish or greyish, thick scaly; inner bark yellowish; sapwood white.
Leaves oblong, ovate or slightly obovate, 10–20 by 4–10 cm; base obtuse, equal or suboblique; apex acute, acuminate, sometimes obtuse; margins serrate in upper half to two-thirds; coriaceous, glabrous except along midrib above, densely pubescent below; midrib and nerves prominent below, more or less depressed above; lateral nerves 15–21 pairs, rather straight to the end of the serrate margins, scalariform veins fine but distinct below. Petiole 1.5–2 cm, pubescent then glabrescent.
Flowers are unisexual. These flowers appear in clusters (inflorescences) at the tips of branches (terminal) or alongside leaves (axillary). Both male and female inflorescences are covered in a dense, short, hair-like material (tomentose).
The spiny fruits are oval-shaped (1.5-4 cm) and clustered together on an upright stalk (15-30 cm). These clusters alternate between groups of 2-3 fruits and single fruits, all connected by their spines.
Flowering: March – May
Fruiting: September – November