Re: "Golden Oak of Cyprus"
- To: K*@aol.com
- Subject: Re: "Golden Oak of Cyprus"
- From: W* B* <b*@math.berkeley.edu>
- Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 12:49:09 -0700 (PDT)
Dear Kurt,
I tried to grow the Golden Chinquapin years ago, after purchasing one at
the plant sale at the East Bay Regional Botanic Garden sale in Berkeley,
California. The plant thrived as long as it was in a pot, but when I
placed it in the garden it slowly died. Wayne Roderick, the Director of
the Botanic Garden, said he never had success growing it in the open
ground, only in the two large pots at the Garden. It is believed that
there is a symbiotic relationship between the roots and some sort of
mycorhizal element in the soil where it grows naturally, and that this
relationship is hard to duplicate in the garden. It is a beautiful plant.
There are other mycorhizal relationships in gardening, and it is an
interesting subject to think about. I understand that some cycads also
have mycorhizal relationships. When I saw cycads growing as underneath
eucalyptus in Australian forests (we have difficulty growing plants
underneath eucalyptus here) I wondered if the cycad mycorhizae (sp?)
helped?
Elly Bade
On Sat, 24 Apr 1999 K1MIZE@aol.com wrote:
> Nancy:
>
> There are a couple of species of an oak relative known as Chinquapin
> (Castanopsis sp.) which are native to the western US and which occur as far
> north as Washington state, which closely resemble the description you give
> for the Golden Oak of Cyprus, but which have small, hard-shelled, edible nuts
> in chestnut-like burs. The Giant Chinquapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla) makes
> a tree 14-45 m. tall. The leaves are lanceolate, 5-15 cm. long, dark green
> above, and golden-tomentose beneath. The Golden Chinquapin (C. chrysophylla
> var. minor) makes a shrub or small tree to ~ 5 (10) m. tall. The leaves of
> this variety are folded upward on each side along the midrib, giving the
> entire plant a golden color. One of these might be easier to find and would
> probably be better suited to your neck of the woods.
>
> Kurt Mize
> Stockton, California
> USDA Zone 9
>
>
