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Written by Rickdatech
 Xanthoceras sorbifolium (yellowhorn, shiny leaf yellowhorn, goldenhorn, Chinese flowering chestnut), is a potential cold hardy oilseed tree. It is a small slow growing deciduous tree, reaching a height of 22 ft and a diameter of 24 ft. It grows less than 12 inches a year.
It prefers acidic dry soil and does not do well in hot wet locations. Hardy in Zones 4 to 7. It is drought tolerant and will survive temperatures below -20 °F.
It is cultivated In Northeastern China for it's edible fruit, reminiscent of chestnuts, it has a seed pod several inches across that have a number of pea sized seeds. These seeds contain up to 70% oil. In cultivation, it can produce over 800 gallons of oil per acre.
Yellowhorn oil contains only 7% saturated fatty acids, giving it similar cold weather properties as canola.
The Yellowhorn tree has multiple uses in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, however, the Chinese grow this tree primarily for oilseed production. In Norh America and Europe it is grown as an ornimental tree with profuse flowers that can cover the tree completely.
|
Fatty Acid |
carbon/double bond count |
percentage |
|
Palmitic acid |
C16.0 |
5.0% |
|
Stearic acid |
C18.0 |
2.0% |
|
Oleic acid |
C18.1 |
30.0% |
|
Linoleic acid |
C18.2 |
42.9% |
|
Linolenic acid |
C18.3 |
0.3% |
|
|
C20.1 |
7.2% |
|
|
C20.2 |
0.9% |
|
Erucic acid |
C22.1 |
9.1% |
|
|
C24.1 |
2.6% |
Please note that all of the oil related research papers on this tree have been written by a handfull of people all working at the same research station in China. As of now I have not been able to obtain independent verification of the oil related information. There are common complaints of this species not flowering and being difficult to propogate if it produces seeds.
Related Links:
Chemical Constituents of the oil and kernals of xathoceras sorbifolia bunge pdf
Wang Hong-dou, Wei Ye-cheng, Guo Yu and Li Xia-bing
(Institute of Forestry and Pedology, Academia Sinica) July 1981
Determination of Main Fatty Acid Methyl Esters in BiodieselProductfrom Yellow Horn [Xanthoeras sorbifolia Bunge.] Oil with RP-LC-RID pdf
Yu-jie Fu, Yuan-gang Zu, Li-li Wang, Naijing Zhang, Wei Liu, Shuang-ming Li, Su Zhang
Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Foresty University, Harbin 150040, P.R. China 2009
http://biowww.net/forum/read/5/2402/2402
Yellow-horn Tree - Great link with an exceptional writeup of the tree.
Yellow Horn LLC |
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