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Xanthoceras is a genus with one species, Xanthoceras sorbifolium (yellowhorn), a deciduous shrub or small tree from northern China that is grown for its oil-rich seeds, nectar-rich flowers and ornamental spring blooms. It is a tough, long-lived tree that does best in full sun and well-drained soil.
Xanthoceras sorbifolium, the yellowhorn, shiny leaf yellowhorn, goldenhorn, or Chinese flowering chestnut, is a woody oil tree species in the family Sapindaceae, and the only species in the genus Xanthoceras. It is native to northern China in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Nei Monggol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shandong. It is also cultivated in Russia, having been imported there since the 19th Century. The genus name Xanthoceras (which translates as "yellow horn") is considered to be the most basal member of the family Sapindaceae. The specific epithet sorbifolium refers to the leaves, which resemble those of the distantly related rowans (Sorbus). It was originally spelled sorbifolia, but this is a grammatical error that was corrected to sorbifolium under the ICBN.
X. sorbifolium is an ancient tree species. It is said it can live up to 2,000 years.
The leaves, flowers, and seeds of yellowhorn are all edible. "Both the pulp and the kernel can be eaten raw or used as an ingredient for cooking". "The kernels taste like chestnuts". "Both are nutritious". "Ripe seeds can produce protein drinks".X.sorbifolium has "a long flowering period, fragrant flowers, large nectar content, and rich reducing sugar, it is a high-quality nectar source in early spring in the north" of China. It is worthwhile for beekeepers to produce honey with a special flavor. According to medical research papers on X. sorbifolium in the United States and China, "the fruit peel extract can inhibit the cells of ovary cancer, cervical cancer and Melanoma". The husk has two major values: "the raw material of furfural, which has a wide range of industrial uses", and "the raw material for medicines for treating urinary system diseases".
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Xanthoceras by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
