Giant chinkapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), sometimes called golden-leafed chinquapin and golden-leafed chestnut because of the minute golden scales on the leaf bottom, is a western hardwood and is an evergreen. It grows in the coastal mountain ranges from southwestern Washington south to central California at elevations up to 6,000 feet. It also occurs inland in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Central California. The can withstand months of low rainfall. Giant chinkapin is the only commercial chinkapin in North America; the others are ornamentals.Giant chinkapin is long-lived; 400 to 500 year-old trees…
Read the complete article at Woodworking Network Wood of the Month
This post contains a brief excerpt for discovery. Copyright remains with the original publisher.
