Qing

‘Qing’ (C. mollissima) was discovered as a yard tree in Hickory, Kentucky, where it was planted sometime between the late 1950s and early 1960s. Its origin is unknown, but it may have originated from trees distributed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. In 1998, it was named by M. Nave and propagated by G. Miller. Compared with adjacent C. mollissima trees, it is a much smaller tree. The tree is a heavy producer and has a desired “loose” canopy architecture. Nuts (medium to large) fall during the early to mid-season and are shiny and dark brown. Some burs have more than three nuts, which decreases the average nut size slightly. ‘Qing’ nuts have good flavor and are exceptionally sweet; they are sweeter than most C. mollissima nuts growing in the United States. Multiple embryos are minimal or absent, and the nuts store very well, even for a C. mollissima nut (Miller, 2003; Nave, 1998). ‘Qing’ shows minimal blossom end rot. Grafts often experience delayed failure or poor growth. ‘Qing’ has performed highly consistently in UMCA trials, showing the best spring frost avoidance (Gold and Hunt, 2002).