Trees or shrubs, evergreen. Terminal buds present, ovoid or subglobose, scales imbricate. Leaves: stipules prominent on new growth, often persistent around buds. Leaf-blade thick, leathery, margins entire or obscurely toothed, secondary-veins obscure, branching and anastomosing before reaching margin. Inflorescences staminate or androgynous, axillary, clustered at ends of branches, spicate, ascending, rigid or flexible; androgynous inflorescences with pistillate cupules/flowers toward base and staminate flowers distally. Staminate flowers: sepals distinct; stamens (6-) 12 (-18), typically surrounding indurate pistillode covered with silky hairs. Pistillate flowers (1-) 3 or more per cupule; sepals distinct; carpels and styles typically 3. Fruits: maturation in 2d year following pollination (termed biennial by many authors); cupule 2-several-valved, valves distinct, completely enclosing nuts, densely spiny, spines irregularly branched, interlocking, without simple hairs, with large, yellowish, multicellular glands; nuts (1-) 3-several per cupule, 3-angled to rounded in cross-section, not winged, adjacent nuts separated from each other by internal cupule valves. x = 12.

Distribution

w United States

Discussion

Species 2

Nuts are sweet and edible but difficult to remove from the spiny cupules unless completely ripe. The two species of Chrysolepis have sometimes been included in Castanopsis; the latter, however, is a related genus of Fagaceae, native to Asia, with very different cupule structure (H.Hjelmquist 1948; L.L. Forman 1966).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Chrysolepis chrysophylla, Chrysolepis sempervirens

Key

1	Leaf apex acute or acuminate; trees or erect shrubs, bark thick, rough.	Chrysolepis chrysophylla
1	Leaf apex obtuse, occasionally somewhat acute; low rhizomatous shrubs, bark thin, smooth.	Chrysolepis sempervirens