Katus or कटुस or Castanopsis spp., SE Asia (Berangan) गाउँले साथिभाइहरुले त टिपेरै खाका होलान्, शहरियाहरुले चैँ तिहारमा भाइटिकाको सामग्रीमा देखेका होलान्

jyapoo Tejpat is called "indian bay-leaf" or Cinnamomum tamala.I'll post it later in spices...

Katus is a small nut also called chinquapin. It has real unique taste. from http://delta-intkey.com/wood/english/www/fagca-be.htm Nomenclature etc. FAGACEAE. Wichtigste Arten: major species: Castanopsis acuminatissima, C. argentea, C. javanica, C. tungurrut. Trade and local names: Berangan, saninten, New Guinea oak (trade); Malayan chestnut, jertek tangga kata (MAL); Philippine chestnut (RP); katia (BUR); ko (LAO); ko, ko-nam (T). Status of protection under CITES regulations: not protected. Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Indomalesia. General. Growth ring boundaries distinct or indistinct or absent, growth ring limits, if present, marked by few rows of flattened latewood fibres. Heartwood basically brown, without streaks. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity 0.52?0.6?0.8 g/cm?. Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in diagonal and/or radial pattern, exclusively solitary. Vessel outline rounded. Average tangential vessel diameter 120?270 ?m. Average number of vessels/mm? 2?18. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6?8 ?m. Information on pits refer to vasicentric tracheids only. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, horizontal to vertical. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled. Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present (vasicentric). Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 900?1800 ?m. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Helical thickenings absent. Fibres non-septate. Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded or not banded. Axial parenchyma bands reticulate, fine, up to three cells wide. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 5?8. Rays. Rays 7?15 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate or multiseriate, also if only few, 1 cells wide (occasionally 2?3 seriates). Aggregate rays present (occasionally). Rays composed of a single cell type. Homocellular ray cells procumbent. Storied structures. Storied structure absent. Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent. Cambial variants. Included phloem absent. Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed. Miscellaneous. ? Radial section. Castanopsis fordii. ******************************************* sorry i could not find the exact pic of the nut. anyway it is a small nut with broad base and pointed tip. hard shell needs to be broken before eating. here is a pic of the jungle with katus trees, u can easily identify the tree as it has huge amounts of white miniature flowers...