It is native to northern China in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Nei Monggol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shandong.

[2] The genus name Xanthoceras (which translates as "yellow horn") is considered to be the most basal member of the family Sapindaceae.

In cultivation in the UK, X. sorbifolium has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This is why he has been thinking about whether there is a tree species that can improve the ecological environment of his hometown and create economic benefits at the same time.

[15] During a visit in 2000, at the edge of the barren Tengger Desert, Ma Chengfu suddenly saw some trees that grow well and bear fruit (at the time he didn't know they were X.sorbifolium), which immediately raised his confidence again.

There are two main reasons why X.sorbifolium has not been developed into a commercial crop in the past: "difficulty in transplanting and low fruiting rate".

The X.sorbifolium seedlings cultivated by Ma Chengfu'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, Jiangsu, Hubei and other southern regions".

[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.