Virginia Tech Dendrology

bush chinquapin Fagaceae Chrysolepis sempervirens (Kellogg) Hjelmqvist symbol: CHSE11
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, elliptical to oblanceolate, to 3 inches long, leathery, margins entire, smooth and green to yellow-green above, rusty to golden pubescent below; tip is blunt or rounded.
Flower: Species is monoecious; both sexes borne in erect aments (catkins), male flowers are numerous, erect, elongated aments, creamy white; odorous; female flowers are much smaller and green, clustered at the base of the male flowers or on separate catkins; appearing in late summer.
Fruit: One (usually) to 3 small triangular nuts enclosed in a sharp, spiny 1 inch bur; burs may be clustered; ripening in late summer, after 2 growing seasons.
Twig: Slender and initially yellow but turning reddish brown with age; pith is yellow and star-shaped; terminal buds are clustered near the tip.
Bark: Smooth, thin, grayish brown.
Form: Multistemmed and root suckering shrub, to 10 feet tall.
Looks like: golden chinkapin - tanoak

Additional Range Information: Chrysolepis sempervirens is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information