A large genus of evergreen trees, natives of the warm temperate regions of eastern and southern Asia and allied to Quercus and Castanea. The fruit is entirely enclosed as in sweet chestnut, but the involucre splits irregularly, and, as in some species of oak, the fruit takes two years to ripen; as in Castanea, the male flower-spikes are upright. The well-known Castanopsis chrysophylla is now considered to represent a distinct genus – see Chrysolepis. With its departure, Castanopsis becomes a genus almost unrepresented in British gardens. In addition to the two species described here, C. concolor is in cultivation at Caerhays Castle, Cornwall, raised from seed collected by George Forrest in Yunnan, China (F. 24758).
From the Supplement (Vol. V)
The specimens of C. concolor at Caerhays, Cornwall, measure 49 × 3 ft and 46 × 3[1/2] ft (1984). C. cuspidata in the same collection is 42 × 5 ft (1984).