Golden Chinkapin

Golden chinkapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla, Fagaceae) is a native broadleaf evergreen shrub or tree from the mountains of western North America, ranging from Washington to California. In the wild it can reach 150 feet, though cultivated forms are much smaller, typically 10 to 20 feet in a shrubby habit. Lanceolate leaves are dark yellow-green above with distinctive golden-to-pale-yellow scales below, and twigs are scurfy with golden-yellow scales. White flowers with a strong odor appear in erect to spreading clusters, followed by spiny bur fruit containing 1 to 3 nuts.

Golden chinkapin is slow-growing and drought-adapted, growing in sun to light shade on well-drained soil, hardy in Zones 7a to 8b. Its natural habitat includes coastal forests, woodlands, and chaparral, where it grows alongside species like redwood, white fir, and western hemlock. The bark is thick and furrowed. No pest or disease issues and no cultivars are documented.