# Xanthoceras

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***Xanthoceras sorbifolium***, the **yellowhorn, shiny leaf yellowhorn, goldenhorn, or Chinese flowering chestnut**, is a woody oil tree species in the [family](/source/Family_(botany)) [Sapindaceae](/source/Sapindaceae), and the only species in the genus ***Xanthoceras***. It is native to northern [China](/source/China) in the provinces of [Gansu](/source/Gansu), [Hebei](/source/Hebei), [Henan](/source/Henan), [Liaoning](/source/Liaoning), [Nei Monggol](/source/Nei_Monggol), [Ningxia](/source/Ningxia), [Shaanxi](/source/Shaanxi), and [Shandong](/source/Shandong).[1] It is also cultivated in [Russia](/source/Russia), having been imported there since the 19th Century.[2] The genus name *Xanthoceras* (which translates as "yellow horn") is considered to be the most basal member of the family Sapindaceae.[3] The [specific epithet](/source/Specific_epithet) *sorbifolium* refers to the leaves, which resemble those of the distantly related [rowans](/source/Rowan) (*Sorbus*). It was originally spelled *sorbifolia*, but this is a grammatical error that was corrected to *sorbifolium* under the [ICBN](/source/ICBN).[1] *X. sorbifolium* is an ancient tree species. It is said it can live up to 2,000 years.[4] It is a sacred tree planted in temples in northern China, because there is no *[Ficus religiosa](/source/Ficus_religiosa)* in the north. It is also used in traditional Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan medicine.[4] In [Bencao Gangmu](/source/Bencao_Gangmu), it is called '天仙果 (Heavenly Fairy Fruit)'.[5] Tenacious *X. sorbifolium* can grow in snow and drought like in the [Gobi Desert](/source/Gobi_Desert). It has very high alimentaire value, medicinal value, ornamental value and ecological value. In cultivation in the UK, *X. sorbifolium* has gained the [Royal Horticultural Society](/source/Royal_Horticultural_Society)'s [Award of Garden Merit](/source/Award_of_Garden_Merit).[6][7]

## Description

It is a large [deciduous](/source/Deciduous) shrub or small tree growing to 8 m tall. The leaves are arranged alternately, 12–30 cm long, and are pinnate, with 9–17 leaflets, the leaflets 3–6 cm long, with a sharply serrated margin.[8] The flowers are 2–3 cm in diameter, with five white petals, and are produced in erect [panicles](/source/Panicle) 10–20 cm long in mid spring. The fruit is an oval leathery [capsule](/source/Capsule_(fruit)) 5–6 cm diameter, which splits into three sections at maturity to release the 6–18 seeds; the seeds are black, 1.5 cm in diameter, resembling a small [horse chestnut](/source/Aesculus) seed.[9][10] The shells of the fruits and seeds are very hard, so that they are best protected during the growth process.[5] Generally, *X. sorbifolium* only blooms white flowers. In the process of multiple crosses performed by the '西北文冠果基地/Northwest *X. sorbifolium* base' ("using 56 seeds of *X.sorbifolium* from all over the country to make them natural hybrids, in order to increase fruit yield"), unexpectedly, the flower color also changed from single to multiple.[5]

## Uses

- The leaves, flowers, and seeds of yellowhorn are all edible.[11] "Both the pulp and the kernel can be eaten raw or used as an ingredient for cooking". "The kernels taste like chestnuts". "Both are nutritious". "Ripe seeds can produce protein drinks".[4]*X.sorbifolium* has "a long flowering period, fragrant flowers, large nectar content, and rich [reducing sugar](/source/Reducing_sugar), it is a high-quality [nectar source](/source/Nectar_source) in early spring in the north" of China. It is worthwhile for beekeepers to produce honey with a special flavor.[4] According to medical research papers on *X. sorbifolium* in the United States and China, "the fruit peel extract can inhibit the cells of [ovary cancer](/source/Ovary_cancer), [cervical cancer](/source/Cervical_cancer) and [Melanoma](/source/Melanoma)".[12] The husk has two major values: "the raw material of [furfural](/source/Furfural), which has a wide range of industrial uses", and "the raw material for medicines for treating [urinary system](/source/Urinary_system) diseases".[13]
- The oil content of the seeds is 40%, and the oil content of the kernels is 66.8%.[4] The [unsaturated fat](/source/Unsaturated_fat) of oil is as high as 94%.[14] "Its [saturated fat](/source/Saturated_fat) content is 1.78 times lower than that of olive oil and 1.9 times lower than that of peanut oil". "Its quality is better than peanut oil and sesame oil, and its health care effect is also unmatched by salad oil and olive oil".[13] *X. sorbifolium* oil is rich in [nervonic acid](/source/Nervonic_acid) (2.6%~5%),[14][4] according to a medical research report in [Shanghai](/source/Shanghai), "after taking *X. sorbifolium* oil for 3 months, [stroke](/source/Stroke) sequelae, [Alzheimer's disease](/source/Alzheimer's_disease), [Parkinson's disease](/source/Parkinson's_disease), [cerebral palsy](/source/Cerebral_palsy), [cerebral atrophy](/source/Cerebral_atrophy), [head injury](/source/Head_injury), memory loss and other [encephalopathy](/source/Encephalopathy) have an average effective rate of 92.8%".[4] In addition, "the average tumor inhibition rate of *X. sorbifolium* oil on [S180](/source/S180) is 82.94%, which is equivalent to the tumor inhibition effect of [cyclophosphamide](/source/Cyclophosphamide), but without the toxin of cyclophosphamide".[4] The "meal" after oil extraction is rich in protein, and "can be used as high-protein food, animal feed, or extract [hydrolyzed protein](/source/Hydrolyzed_protein) and [amino acid](/source/Amino_acid)". "Amino acids extracted from *X. sorbifolium* are complete [essential amino acid](/source/Essential_amino_acid)". "The nutritional value and absorption rate of *X.sorbifolium* protein are higher than [soy protein](/source/Soy_protein) and [sunflower seed protein](/source/Sunflower_seed), close to [casein](/source/Casein)".[4]
- "Branches and trunk are effective medicines for treating [rheumatism](/source/Rheumatism)".[13] The leaves can be used to make tea, "which can [diuresis](/source/Diuresis), remove rheumatism, and lower blood pressure". It also has "the effects of sterilization, anti-inflammatory, reducing fat, anti-oxidation"... etc. "The leaves contain 19.18% to 23% protein, which is higher than that of [black tea](/source/Black_tea), and the caffeine content is close to that of scented tea".[4]

## "One thousand flowers one fruit"

*X. sorbifolium* has a long history and is distributed in a wide area, but few people knew about it. In 2000, no information about it could be found on the Internet.[4] At this time, Ma Chengfu (马成福), a reporter who will be hailed as the "pioneer of the *X. sorbifolium* industry", began work on popularizing the species.[15] His works "《流血的石羊河 /The Bleeding [Shiyang River](/source/Shiyang_River)" and "《只有和谐是良药》/Only Harmony Is the Best Medicine" have been compiled into college textbooks.[16] Ma Chengfu was born in August 1968 in a poor farmer's family in [Jingtai County](/source/Jingtai_County), [Gansu](/source/Gansu). Jingtai is located at the eastern end of the [Hexi Corridor](/source/Hexi_Corridor) and south of the Tengger Desert. Since childhood, he suffered from drought, water shortage, and sandstorm in the desert climate, prompting him to find a tree species that can improve the ecological environment of his hometown and create economic benefits at the same time. To this end, he traveled all over the Hexi Corridor.[15] During a visit in 2000, at the edge of the barren Tengger Desert, Ma suddenly saw some trees that grow well and bear fruit (at the time he did not know they were *X. sorbifolium*), which immediately raised his confidence again. Since then, he has embarked on a long journey of [R&D](/source/Research_and_development) and entrepreneurship of *X. sorbifolium* without fear of hardships. Two main reasons exist for why *X. sorbifolium* has not been developed into a commercial crop in the past: "difficulty in transplanting and low fruiting rate". "千花一果/One thousand flowers one fruit" should be a pity for it in the past. After repeated failures, Ma solved these two problems and developed the high-yield and high-quality *X. sorbifolium*. The *X. sorbifolium* seedlings cultivated by Ma's team-'西北文冠果基地/Northwest *X. sorbifolium* base' "have gone out of Gansu, spread to Northwest, Northeast, and North China, and introduced to [Sichuan](/source/Sichuan), [Jiangsu](/source/Jiangsu), [Hubei](/source/Hubei) and other southern regions".[15]

In the past two decades, *X. sorbifolium* has also attracted other R&D teams. For example, in [Qiu County](/source/Qiu_County), [Hebei](/source/Hebei), the planting area in 2018 has reached several thousand "亩/666.67m2".[17] China's first *X. sorbifolium* research and development, processing, and sales enterprise also appeared in Qiu County, and achieved a multi-win situation of ecological, economic, and social benefits.[18] In April 2021, the "*X. sorbifolium* Industry Development and Medicinal Value Summit Forum" was held in Qiu County, expecting to attract more entrepreneurs to develop the economic value and medicinal value of *X. sorbifolium*, and create an industry-university-research cooperation platform to promote scientific research and innovation achievements.[18]

## References

1. Lancaster, Roy (1987). [*Garden Plants for Connoisseurs*](https://books.google.com/books?id=R2glAQAAMAAJ&q=xanthoceras+russia). the University of Wisconsin - Madison: Unwin Hyman. pp. 192 (page 47). ISBN 9780044400547.

1. Harrington, M. G., Edwards, K. J., Johnson, S. A., Mark W. Chase, M. W., & Gadek, P. A. (2005). Phylogenetic inference in Sapindaceae *sensu lato* using plastid *mat*K and *rbc*L DNA sequences. *Systematic Botany* 30 (2): 366-382. [Abstract.](http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aspt/sb/2005/00000030/00000002/art00012?token=00661f73a30600ba68e944f58762f417c4e7547543c7e386f6468467c79675d7c405847447b23442f7873446f386b466648bc9)

1. ["神奇的文冠果，传奇的马成福！"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221223031634/http://www.chinazjbd.com/a/zjgw/412.html) (in Chinese). 中国专家报道. Archived from [the original](http://www.chinazjbd.com/a/zjgw/412.html) on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.

1. ["文冠果之恋"](http://flttw.cn/llts/2607.html) (in Chinese). 法律头条网. Retrieved 2022-12-23.

1. ["*Xanthoceras sorbifolium*"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/19138/Xanthoceras-sorbifolium/Details). *www.rhs.org*. [Royal Horticultural Society](/source/Royal_Horticultural_Society). Retrieved 20 February 2020.

1. ["AGM Plants - Ornamental"](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 108. Retrieved 10 March 2019.

1. University of British Columbia [Asian Garden Photos: *Xanthoceras sorbifolium*](http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3578)

1. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). *New RHS Dictionary of Gardening*. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.

1. University of British Columbia [Botany Photo of the Day, August 31, 2006: *Xanthoceras sorbifolia* and *Aesculus hippocastanum*](http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2006/08/xanthoceras_sorbifolia_and_aesculus_hippocastanum.php)

1. Plants for a Future Database [*Xanthoceras sorbifolium*](http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Xanthoceras%20sorbifolium)

1. 劉景仁, 張建國、劉大智 (2016). *最新科學抗癌藥用植物圖鑑 Current Scientific Anticancer Medicinal Plants*. Taichung, Taiwan: 晨星. pp. 509 (474). ISBN 978-986443169-4.

1. ["经济效益分析怎么写(文冠果种植经济效益分析)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221224101151/https://www.greenxinan.com/7548.html) (in Chinese). 高考志愿网. Archived from [the original](https://www.greenxinan.com/7548.html) on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2022-12-24.

1. ["马成福和他的文冠果产业"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221223094000/http://www.agri.cn/V20/ZX/qgxxlb_1/gs/201908/t20190807_6442211.htm) (in Chinese). www.agri.cn. Archived from [the original](http://www.agri.cn/V20/ZX/qgxxlb_1/gs/201908/t20190807_6442211.htm) on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.

1. ["极端天气需用极品文冠果种苗"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220925235432/http://www.hbscw.net/2021/0614429956.html) (in Chinese). 河北视窗网. Archived from [the original](http://www.hbscw.net/2021/0614429956.html) on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25.

1. ["關於文冠果"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221225072702/https://www.xncx.gov.cn/Government/Letter/LetterView.aspx?LetterId=36) (in Chinese). www.xncx.gov.cn. Archived from [the original](https://www.xncx.gov.cn/Government/Letter/LetterView.aspx?LetterId=36) on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25.

1. ["生生不息文冠树"](http://www.81.cn/jfjbmap/content/2018-07/18/content_211240.htm) (in Chinese). www.81.cn. Retrieved 2022-12-25.

1. ["文冠果產業發展暨藥用價值高峰論壇在邱縣舉行"](http://he.people.com.cn/BIG5/n2/2021/0417/c192235-34680385.html) (in Chinese). www.he.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2022-12-25.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Xanthoceras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthoceras) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthoceras?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.