chinquapin

chinquapin (ching'kupin) [key][Algonquian], name for certain American species of the chestnut genus of the family Fagaceae (beech family) and for a related species, the golden chinquapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla), an evergreen of the Pacific states. The common chinquapin is Castanea pumila, native to the E United States. Its wood and fruit are used like those of the chestnut. The bush chinquapin (C. alnifolia) has a more southern range. Chinquapin is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Fagales, family Fagaceae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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