Xanthoceras sorbifolium

Also Known As

Xanthoceras sorbifolia
Chinese Flowering Chesnut
Flowering Yellowhorn Tree
Goldenhorn
Popcorn Shrub
Shiny Leaf yellowhorn
Yellowhorn
Yellowhorn

Plant type

tree, shrub, fruit / vegetable

size

H: 25'
W: 10'-15'

planting zones

4a-9b

More Options

Xanthoceras sorbifolium plant details

A hard-to-find but trouble-free tree that's beautiful enough to grow even without all its additional uses. Profuse clusters of sweet-scented white flowers in spring, with a golden eye age that eventually ages to a reddish color before forming pods in autumn that produce the edible macadamia-like nuts that smell like popcorn when roasted. The pressed nuts are used for cooking oil, young leaves are edible sometimes used in stir fry. It is self-fertile so you don't need multiple trees to produce seed, but they will be more productive if you plant more than one. A medium growing tree that takes well to pruning, it may be left to develop multiple trunks, or pruned to retain a single trunk. It enjoys hot summers and has been found reliably hardy down to at least zone 4.

Xanthoceras sorbifolium is a broadleaf deciduous fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree with green foliage. In spring cream, red, white and yellow flowers emerge followed by green fruit. Attracts bees and birds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and regular water. Drought tolerant once established. Does well in average, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Xanthoceras sorbifolium

Plant type: fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree
Plant family: sapindaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 10 FT - 15 FT - wide, 25 FT tall
Flowers: cream, red, white and yellow blooms in spring
Uses: compound leaves, disease-resistant, edible, fragrant, pinnate leaves, rare, showy, xeric

GROWING CONDITIONS for Xanthoceras sorbifolium

USDA Zones: 4a - 9b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: regular
Resistant to: heat
Soil needs: average, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

A handsome Chinese shrub/tree, slowly growing to 20' with shiny green pinnately compound leaves made up of 9-17 leaflets, very showy 6-10" erect clusters of fragrant white flowers with a red eye become leathery pods filled with shiny pea-sized edible nuts (said to taste reminiscent of macadamias) which are pressed to use as a cooking oil, the young leaves are also stir-fried, self-fertile, but yields are better with two or more. S/M

By: Forestfarm

An interesting and often hard to find tree, Yellowhorn is native to China and grows into a medium sized tree with bright flowers that change color as they age. Flowers bloom in May with white edges and yellow throats (hence the name 'Yellowhorn') but the yellow throat turns to a deep maroon color as the flowers mature. Trees grow at a medium rate so are a good choice for smaller landscapes where the tree size can be easily controlled with occasional light pruning. Over time Yellowhorns will typically develop a multi-trunk habit but by removing second leaders on young plants you can develop a single trunk tree.

Yellowhorn does well in areas with hot, dry summers and is perfect for the southwestern states. These trees are drought tolerant once established.

By: Red Panda Nursery

Yellowhorn is also know as Chinese flowering chestnut, Popcorn Shrub. This plant is an up an coming permaculture plant with lots of potential. Edible young leaves, flowers, and seeds that smell like popcorn when roasted and taste like macadamia nuts or chestnuts are just the beginning. There is significant research being done on the used of the oil from the nuts as a biodiesel source. The plant is self-fertile and as with most self-fertile plants more than one can increase fruiting success. Hardy to zone 4 at least with some reports of success in zone 2. Seeds/nuts ripen in September/October. Deciduous, flowering tree (20-25' tall) or multi-stemmed shrub (8-10' tall). Features lustrous, compound green leaves with 9-17 leaflets which persist late into the fall and five petaled, 1 inch diameter, star-shaped, white flowers with yellow or red centers in May. Flowers are followed by 2.5" green fruits. Very difficult to find plants for sale. We have them!

By: jiovi® at Foxgreen Farm

A hardy and versatile deciduous member of a mostly tropical family, this choice northern Chinese native headlines shiny, deep green pinnate leaves, defined by 9 to 17 serrated leaflets and lovely, white cupped flowers held in large Horse Chestnut-style clusters. A saffron-colored eye deepening to carmine-pink inscribes each sweetly scented, 5-petaled blossom. Come autumn, oval-shaped leathery capsules produce numerous, edible, large black seeds that supposedly taste like macadamia nuts. Preferring a warm sunny locale, but also abiding a moist shady one, Yellowhorn's upright and lacy silhouette possesses exceptional drought tolerance.

By: Digging Dog Nursery

A deciduous small tree or multi-stemmed shrub from China featuring lustrous, compound green leaves which last late into fall and 1", 5-petaled white, star-shaped bloom with yellow or red center which appear in May in huge terminal racemes. These lovely blooms are followed by 2.5" green fruit which resemble buckeyes, at least superficially. Disease and pest free. Near impossible to find in the trade. But here it is! Excellent tree as a specimen or in groups and is especially effective as a backdrop for spring flowering perennials. The seed is about the size of a pea with a taste like a sweet chestnut hence one common name.