Chrysolepis
| Chrysolepis | ||||||||||||
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Chrysolepis chrysophylla , bark, deciduous leaves and prickly cupula |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chrysolepis | ||||||||||||
| Hjelmq. |
Chrysolepis is a genus of plants withinthe beech family (Fagaceae). The only two species are native to the western United States .
description
Appearance and leaves
The Chrysolepis species grow as evergreen trees or shrubs . The egg-shaped or almost spherical end bud has roof-tile-like overlapping bud scales.
The alternate and spirally arranged leaves on the branch are mostly petiolate. The simple, thick and leathery leaf blades have entire or indistinct teeth. The more or less indistinctly recognizable side nerves are branched and orient themselves towards the leaf tip before they reach the leaf edge. The stipules are protruding on the fresh shoot and are often durable around the buds.
Inflorescences, flowers and fruits
Chrysolepis species are single sexed ( monoecious ). The laterally heaped at the branch ends arranged, ascending, stiff or flexible spiked inflorescences contain either only male flowers or female flowers near the base and male flowers above.
The male flowers usually contain six tiny, free bracts and mostly twelve (rarely from 6 to 18) stamens ; the stamens are usually surrounded by sterile, nectar-producing pistils, which are covered with silky hair. The female flowers are (rarely single to) usually in threes in the fruit cup (cupula) together. The female flowers contain six tiny, free bracts and usually three carpels and styles.
The cupula, densely covered with irregularly branched pointed spines and large, yellowish, multicellular glands, is triangular to rounded in cross section and has two to a few free flaps that completely envelop the nut fruit. The nut fruits are separated from each other by cupula walls. The fruits ripen in the second year after pollination .
Chromosome number
The basic chromosome number is x = 12.
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Systematics and distribution
The two Chrysolepis species are only native to the western United States .
The first description of the genus Chrysolepis was carried out in 1948 by Karl Jesper Hakon Hjelmquist in Botaniska Notiser , Supplement 2 (1), p 117. Type species is Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) Hjelmq. The genus name Chrysolepis is derived from the Greek words chrysos for gold and lepis for scale, this refers to the yellow glands on different parts of the plant.
The genus Chrysolepis belongs to the subfamily Castaneoideae within the family of Fagaceae . The two species are also placed in the genus Castanopsis (D.Don) Spach by some authors .
There are only two species of Chrysolepis :
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Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) Hjelmq. : With two varieties:
- Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) Hjelmq. var. chrysophylla (Syn .: Castanea chrysophylla Douglas ex Hook. , Castanopsis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) A.DC. ): It thrives in redwood forests, evergreen mixed forests and coniferous forests at altitudes between 0 and 2000 meters in California , Oregon and Washington . Most of the locations are close to the coast, but they also extend inland to the Sierra Nevada .
- Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. Minor (Benth.) Munz (Syn .: Castanea chrysophylla var. Minor Benth. ): It thrives on rocky or stony open slopes, in coniferous forests, closed pine forests and in the chaparral at altitudes between 300 and 1800 meters in California and Oregon.
- Chrysolepis sempervirens (Kellogg) Hjelmq. (Syn .: Castanea sempervirens Kellogg , Castanopsis sempervirens (Kellogg) Dudley ): It thrives on rocky slopes, in coniferous forests and in the chaparral, mostly at higher altitudes, but between 0 and 3300 meters in total in California and Oregon.
use
They are used with some elite forms as ornamental trees in parks and gardens. The nuts are edible and have a sweet taste, but it is difficult to remove the prickly cupules before they are fully ripe.
swell
- Kevin C. Nixon: Fagaceae : Chrysolepis - the same text online as the printed work , In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico , Volume 3 - Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae , Oxford University Press, New York a . a. 1997. ISBN 0-19-511246-6 (section description, distribution, systematics and use)
- Chrysolepis at The Jepson Flora Project . (Section Description and Distribution)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Kevin C. Nixon: Fagaceae : Chrysolepis - the same text online as the printed work , In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico , Volume 3 - Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae , Oxford University Press, New York et al. a. 1997. ISBN 0-19-511246-6
- ↑ a b Chrysolepis at The Jepson Flora Project .
- ↑ Entry in The PLANTS Database by USDA.
- ^ Chrysolepis at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Chrysolepis in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
