''Carya cathayensis'', commonly called Chinese hickory, is a species of

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, where it is known as ''shanhetao'' (). It is valued for its edible nuts.

Description

The tree is slow growing and reaches a height of 20 meters, growing mostly on mountain slopes, valleys, and riverbanks from 400-1,500 meters in elevation and typically found in the provinces of

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

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, and

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

As food

Approximately 5,000 tons of hickory nuts can be produced from 16,000 hectares of trees, with the nuts being roasted or made into candy, and the oil used for cooking.https://cgru.usda.gov/carya/species/cathayensis/cathayensis.htm Peeled and roasted nuts, known as ''shanhetaoren'' (山核桃仁), are a well-known specialty of

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

References

cathayensis Hangzhou cuisine {{tree-stub