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Chrysolepis sempervirens
Also called Sierra Chinkapin, Bush Golden Chinquapin
Chrysolepis sempervirens is a species of mountain shrub in the oak family known by the common names bush chinkapin, bush golden chinquapin, or Sierra evergreen chinquapin. It is native to the western United States, where it grows on rocky slopes and chaparral throughout the San Gabriel, San Jacinto, Sierra Nevada, Cascade, and Klamath Ranges of California and Southern Oregon.
Chrysolepis sempervirens is generally more shade-tolerant than C. chrysophylla, and can therefore grow in the lower strata of coniferous forests. The shrub is pollinated by the wind, and its fruit ripens in the second year of development. The nuts are a good source of food for birds and rodents, which help to further disseminate the seeds.
The nuts are edible, though small, and taste similar to hazelnut. Indigenous peoples of California gathered and roasted them as a food source. Today the species is occasionally grown as an ornamental shrub in native plant gardens, valued for its dense form, attractive foliage, and adaptation to dry, rocky sites.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chrysolepis sempervirens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
