''Ostryopsis'' is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial no ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

s belonging to the birch family

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of th ...

. The species have no common English name, though hazel-hornbeam has been suggested, reflecting their similarities to the closely related

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999) ...

s and hop-hornbeams. The genus is native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> They are shrubs reaching 3–5 m tall, with alternate, double-toothed hazel-like

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

2–7 cm long. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are produced in spring, with separate male and female

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arran ...

s. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in parti ...

form in clusters 3–5 cm long with 6-10

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s; each seed is a small nut 4–6 mm long, fully enclosed in a sheath-like

involucre In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

.Flora of China - ''Ostryopsis''
/ref> The local people in Northeast China has found

hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species '' Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts accordin ...

s of '' Ostryopsis davidiana'' and '' Corylus mandshurica'' are more delicious than that of common hazels and Asian hazels, and the cuisine "stir-fried huozhenzi" (火榛子) are popular. However, their hazelnuts are far more expensive than common and Asian hazelnuts. ;Species *'' Ostryopsis davidiana'' Decne. - widespread from Sichuan to Liaoning *'' Ostryopsis intermedia'' B.Tian & J.Q.Liu - Yunnan *'' Ostryopsis nobilis'' Balf.f. & W.W.Sm. - Sichuan, Yunnan

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q311254 Betulaceae Endemic flora of China Edible nuts and seeds Fagales genera Taxa named by Joseph Decaisne