User:DavidAnstiss/Corylus fargesii

Corylus fargesii (Asian beaked hazel or Farges Filbert') is a species of hazel found in Asia. It is a small tree or shrub.

The flowers have triangular shaped petals. The round nuts which are encased in a very tough oval shaped shell and can be consumed by humans. The plant is not commercially grown for the nuts, rather they are sometimes used as ornamental plants. They are located in Western Guizhou, Hubei, South Western and Western Sichuan, and Western Yunnan.

Description
Corylus mandshurica Maximowicz var. fargesii (Franchet) Burkill; C. rostrata Aiton var. fargesii Franchet.

Trees to 25 m tall; bark yellow-brown, fissured. Branchlets gray, slender, pubescent. Petiole 1-1.5 cm, densely pubescent; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate, obovate-oblong, or lanceolate, 6-9 × 3-5 cm, both surfaces sparsely pilose especially along midvein and lateral veins, base obliquely cordate or subrounded, margin coarsely and irregularly doubly serrate, apex acuminate; lateral veins 8-10 on each side of midvein. Male inflorescences 2-8 in a cluster, cylindric, 2-6 cm; bracts ovate-triangular, apex acute with a stipitate gland. Female flowers 2-4 in a cluster; bracts forming a tubular sheath, 2-5 cm, densely yellow tomentose, sparsely stipitate glandular when young, with faint veins, apex divided into triangular-lanceolate lobes usually not forked at apex. Nut enclosed by bracts, ovoid-globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., gray-white pubescent at apex. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Jul-Aug.


 * Forests in mountain valleys; 800-3000 m. S Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, S Ningxia, Shaanxi, NE Sichuan (Chengkou Xian)

(Farges Filbert) A very rare small tree native to parts of China, Corylus fargesii is known for its beautiful flaking tan and copper coloured bark once established.

The nuts produced by Corylus fargesii are edible. Before planting, though, do realize that Corylus fargesii grows to 80-100 feet in its native China and is predicted to reach at least half that height in cultivation.

In its native habitat, trees reach 80 to 100’. I estimate 40 to 60’ by 30 to 40’ wide under cultivation.

Bark is quite remarkable, akin to that of Acer griseum, paperbark maple, exfoliating in curls and papery sheets. Colors range from light brown, copper-brown to deep chocolate-brown. Exfoliation occurs on two-year-old stems through large trunks. The tree is more beautiful in winter than in leaf.

Leaves are 2 to 4’’ long, 1 to 2’’ wide. Medium green, turning yellow in fall, shaped more like an elm leaf than the typical rounded Corylus outline. Foliage has shown high heat and drought tolerance. The summer of 2016 in Athens, GA was the hottest on record with no rain for extended periods. Two, four-year-old trees in the Dirr garden showed no foliar stress.

Flowers occur in March on naked stems; the male in drooping 2 to 4” long, reddish brown catkins; the female barely visible at the tip of the bud. Fruit is a 1/2” diameter hard-shelled, edible, globose nut held in a 2 to 4” long tubular sheath (involucre). The Morris Arboretum shared numerous nuts with the author which, 4 years later, are still germinating. I continue to manipulate the pre-germination treatments that will produce uniform percentages. Seedlings grow rapidly, 4 to 5’ in a season. Cuttings have been almost impossible to root.

To date, Japanese beetles have not been an issue (a problem on Corylus). No foliar diseases or insect damage have been observed/reported. The species is resistant to eastern filbert blight, a fungal pathogen which devastates Corylus avellana, especially ‘Contorta’, Harry Lauder’s walking-stick.

The species is cold hardy in the range of -20 to -25 F and is well adapted to zone 8, Athens-Atlanta. Trees in Chicago, IL, Boothbay, ME, Boring, OR, and Athens, GA attest to adaptability. Any well-drained soil preferably on the acid side is suitable. Trees in heavy shade are more open than those in full sun. Container-grown plants are easily transplanted.

Edible parts of Corylus fargesii: Seed - raw or cooked. The seed, in its shell, is about 10 - 15mm in diameter. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will probably need to be protected from squirrels. When kept in a cool place, and not shelled, the seed should store for at least 12 months. An edible oil is obtained from the seed.

Description of the plant:

Plant: Deciduous Tree Height: 15 m (49 feet) Flowering: May

Taxonomy
The Latin specific epithet fargesii refers to the French missionary and amateur botanist Père Paul Guillaume Farges (1844–1912).

It was then first described and published as Corylus rostrata var. fargesii by Adrien René Franchet in J. Bot. (Morot) Vol.13 on page 199 in 1899. The species was then renamed as Corylus fargesii by the (revising) author of Camillo Karl Schneider in his book 'Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde' Vol.2 on page 896 in 1912.

It is written as 披针叶榛 in Chinese script and known as pi zhen ye zhen in Pidgin in China.

Name Status RHS Accepted name

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 3 February 1998.

Distribution and habitat
C. fargesii is native to temperate area of Asia.

CHINA: China [Gansu Sheng (s.), Guizhou Sheng, Henan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Ningxia Huizi Zizhiqu (s.), Shaanxi Sheng, Sichuan Sheng (n.e.)] China

Habitat
Habitat of the herb: Forests in mountain valleys of western China at elevations of 800 - 3000 metres. Cultivation of the herb: Forests in mountain valleys of western China at elevations of 800 - 3000 metres.

Propagation
Corylus fargesii: Seed - best sown as soon as it is harvested in autumn in a cold frame. Germinates in late winter or spring. Stored seed should be pre-soaked in warm water for 48 hours and then given 2 weeks warm followed by 3 - 4 months cold stratification. Germinates in 1 - 6 months at 20C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or sheltered place outdoors for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Layering in autumn. Easy, it takes about 6 months. Division of suckers in early spring. Very easy, they can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.

Uses
The nuts produced by Corylus fargesii are edible. It is unknown if the nuts are used a medicinal use