Hickories
C.
cathayensis
Sargent. "Shan he tao" (Mountain walnut). "He tao"
(walnut); "Xiao he tao" (Small walnut); "Shan xie"
(Mountain crab) (in Zhejiang province); and "Ye qi shu"
(Wild lacquer tree) (in Anhui province). Chinese hickory.
(This
description is taken from Grauke, L.J.; Wood, B.W.; Payne, J.A.
Genetic resources of Carya in Vietnam and China. Annu. Rpt. N.
Nut Growers Assn. 82:80-87. 1991. )
Chinese hickory was first described by Sargent (1916) based on
collections by F. N. Meyer (Meyer 1521, collected July 8-12, 1915,
maintained at U.S. Nat. Herb. and Gray Herb.). Sargent tentatively
placed the species in the Section Apocarya, noting similarities
between Chinese hickory and C. myristiciformis (the nutmeg hickory
of North America) that "connect Eucarya and Apocarya, which
without these intermediate forms might be considered distinct
genera" (1916, p. 187). C. cathayensis is now considered
to be part of Section Sinocarya (Cheng and R. H. Chang in Chang
& Lu,1979), while C. myristiciformis is in Section Carya (Stone,
1997). Sargent (1916) considered his description to be the first
of an Asian Carya species, since he rejected Dode's (1912) naming
of C. sinensis (=Annamocarya sinensis Chevalier ), suggesting
it to be Aleurites triloba instead.
Chinese hickory is distributed in Zhejiang Province, making it
the most eastern of Asian hickories. The species has been collected
frequently in the Tien Mu Shan area near Chang Hua, Linan County,
Zhejiang Province (Sargent, 1916; Stone, 1962). It has also been
found in Chun An, Zhejiang (Stone, 1962). It is reported from
southeastern Anhui Province (Kuang and Li, 1979). Specimens collected
from Guizhou Province (Y. Tsiang 6467 and Handel-Mazzetti 2151)
which had been identified as C. cathayensis are believed to be
C. hunanensis, and have been annotated as such by Grauke.
Chinese hickory is cultivated in Zhejiang Province, with much
of the production coming from Linan County. According to Xu Rongzhang
of the Linan County Forestry Institute, 16,000 Ha of trees produce
5000 tons of nuts. Most of the production comes from the area
around Chang Hua, where 30% of the income is attributed to hickory.
Most trees are wild, and are grown at densities of 15/mu (with
15mu/Ha, or 225 trees/Ha). Mature trees typically produce 30-50
kg/mu (450-750 kg/Ha). In test fields with improved methods, yeilds
of 1470-3360 kg/Ha have been obtained. Important research objectives
include: improving yields, improving fertility, enhancing pollination,
and controlling pests. Graft compatibility between C. cathayensis
and rootstocks of Platycarya, Pterocarya, and Cyclocarya was reported.
Low survival of grafts (40%) was a problem, but could be due to
a combination of factors, including grafting methods (greenwood
grafts in current season), grafting season (may to September),
culture (excessively crowded trees), or rootstock incompatibility.
Nuts of Chinese hickory are eaten roasted and made into various
candies. Oil from the nuts is used in cooking and in the production
of paint (Kuang and Li, 1979), a use reflected in the common name
for the tree in Anhui province.
On October 8, 1990, we collected herbarium specimens and made
observations on C. cathayensis growing in a planted stand from
native seed. The trees were on the side of a mountain near Chang
Hua, Zhejiang. Nuts had been previously harvested (Sept. 8-15)
and none were found. The next day, we found native trees on the
mountainside near Tien Mu Shan, but with very few nuts.
Trees have smooth, white, tight bark. Like C. tonkinensis, Chinese
hickory shoots terminate in orange leaf buds which lack bud scales. There are
5-7 leaflets on the odd-pinnately compound leaves. Leaves are
generally 20-30 cm long, including the petiole. The petiole and
rachis are covered by bright orange, round peltate scales which
are concentrated at axils of petiolules and rachis, where acicular
hairs are also present on the upper rachis. The terminal leaflet
is equaled or exceeded in length by the two subjacent laterals
(12-20 cm long X 3-6 cm wide), while the lower leaflets are smaller
(6-12 cm long X 2.5-4.5 cm wide). Leaves are conspicuous for the
rusty orange color of the lower surface, caused by the abundance
of round orange peltate scales, which occur in two size classes.
On the glossy green adaxial surface, primary veins are covered
with abundant curly fasciculate hairs. Secondary veins have fewer
hairs. The husks of the nuts are covered with the orange peltate
scales and are 2-4 mm thick. Husks are winged to the base of the
nut along at least some of the 4 sutures. Nuts are generally
round-elliptic with rounded base and acute apex (2-3 cm long X
1.5-2.3 cm diam.) and a shell 1-2 mm thick. Observed shell
thickness
was consistent with that reported by Stone (1962). Sargent's (1916)
original report of 2.5-3 mm thick shells may be an error since
he gave the same size range for both endo- and exocarp.
LJ Grauke , Research
Horticulturist & Curator
USDA-ARS Pecan Genetics
10200 FM 50
Somerville, TX 77879
tele: 979-272-1402
fax: 979-272-1401
e-mail:
ljg@tamu.edu
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