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Juglandaceae FAMILY

Carya cathayensis

Carya cathayensis

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthSlow

Carya cathayensis is intolerant of much frost[1]. Another report says that plants succeeds in climatic zone 6, which suggests that they should tolerate temperatures down to about -15 and -20°c[2]. Prefers a deep moisture-retentive loam in a sunny sheltered position, requiring a good summer for best development[3, 4, 5, 2]. Slow growing[2]. Dislikes wind exposure[1]. Plants are strongly tap-rooted and should be planted in their permanent positions as soon as possible[3, 5]. Sowing in situ would be the best method so long as the seed could be protected from mice[3, 2]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2]. Most species in this genus have quite a wide range of distribution and, in order to find trees more suited to specific climates, seed from the most appropriate provenances should be sought[5]. Most trees growing in Britain at present tend to only produce good seed after hot summers[5]. Trees are self-fertile but larger crops of better quality seeds are produced if cross-pollination takes place[6]. Plants can also produce seed apomictically, each seed thus produced being a clone of the parent[7].

Propagation

Seed - requires a period of cold stratification. It is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[8]. Stored seed should be kept moist (but not wet) prior to sowing and should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible[8]. Where possible, sow 1 or 2 seeds only in each deep pot and thin to the best seedling. If you need to transplant the seedlings, then do this as soon as they are large enough to handle, once more using deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Put the plants into their permanent positions as soon as possible, preferably in their first summer, and give them some protection from the cold for at least the first winter[8, PFAF]. Seed can also be sown in situ so long as protection is given from mice etc and the seed is given some protection from cold[2] (a plastic bottle with the top and bottom removed and a wire mesh top fitted to keep the mice out is ideal) Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Carya+cathayensis>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Plantae Wilsonae. Vol 1 - 3 — Wilson. E. H. · University Press; Cambridge. · 1911 - 1917 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Nuts. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
  5. [5]The Plantsman. Vol. 9. 1986 - 1987. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Carya spp and Crocus sativus.
  6. [6]The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. — Elias. T. · Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. · 1980 · ISBN 0442238622 ↩︎A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
  7. [7]New Trees — Grimshaw J.; Bayton R.; Wilks H. · Kew Publishing; London · 2009 · ISBN 1842461737 ↩︎Provides comprehensive botanical descriptions and horticultural commentary on over 800 tree species that have been introduced to cultivation in recent decades.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  10. [10]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  11. [11]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Chinese Economic Trees — Woon Young Chun · Commercial Press; Shanghai. · 1921 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Brief details of many of the Chinese trees with economic importance. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  14. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎