Triadica sebifera

Triadica sebifera subsp. var.	Chinese tallow tree
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	Euphorbiaceae > Triadica sebifera var. ,

Triadica sebifera, also referred to as Sapium sebiferum, is commonly known as the Chinese tallow tree, Florida aspen and Gray Popcorn Tree. Introduced to the United States, the tree is native to eastern Asia, and is most commonly associated with eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan. In these regions, the waxy coating of the seeds is used for candle and soap making, and the leaves are used as herbal medicine to treat boils. The plant sap and leaves are reputed to be toxic, and decaying leaves from the plant are toxic to other species of plant. The specific epithets sebifera and sebiferum mean "wax-bearing" and refer to the vegetable tallow that coats the seeds. The tree is highly ornamental, fast growing and a good shade tree. It is especially noteworthy if grown in areas that have strong seasonal temperature ranges with the leaves becoming a multitude of colours rivalling maples in the autumn.

It is useful in the production of biodiesel because it is the third most productive vegetable oil producing crop in the world, after algae and oil palm. This species is considered to be a noxious invader in the U.S.

The simple, deciduous leaves of this tree are alternate, broad rhombic to ovate in shape and have smooth edges, heart shaped and sometimes with an extended tail often resembling the bo tree, Ficus religiosa. The leaves are bright green in color and slightly paler underneath. They become bright yellows, oranges, purples and reds in the autumn. The tree is monoecious, producing male and female flowers on the same plant.

File:ChineseTallowSeedpods.jpg

Seed pods

The waxy green leaves set off the clusters of greenish-yellow and white flowers at bloom time. The flowers occur in terminal spike-like inflorescences up to 20 cm long. Light green in color, these flowers are very conspicuous in the spring. Each pistillate (female) flower is solitary and has a three-lobed ovary, three styles, and no petals. They are located on short branches at the base of the spike. The staminate (male) flowers occur in clusters at the upper nodes of the inflorescence.

Fruits are three-lobed, three-valved capsules. As the capsules mature, their color changes from green to a brown-black. The capsule walls fall away and release three globose seeds with a white, tallow-containing covering. Seeds usually hang on the plants for several weeks. In North America, the flowers typically mature from April to June and the fruit ripens from September to October. It commonly grows all over Japan, and is reasonably hardy. It is prized for its abundant and often spectacular autumn foliage.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Sapium sebiferum, Roxbg. (Croton sebiferus, Linn. Excoecaria sebifera, Muell. Arg. Stillingia sebifera, Michx.). Chinese Tallow Tree. Vegetable Tallow. Tree, 25-30 ft. high: lvs. broad rhombic-ovate, 1-3 in. broad, beautifully red-colored in age: racemes terminal: caps. 1/2 in. thick: seeds long adhering to the central column, the aril-like coating white. China, and now cult. and naturalized in many tropical lands. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

The plant is sold in nurseries as an ornamental tree. It is not choosy about soil types or drainage, but will not grow in deep shade.

Gallery

• DeerNaraJapan.jpg

  Sapium sebiferum in autumn, Japan

• Triadica sebifera1.jpg
• Triadica sebifera2.jpg
• Triadica sebifera5.jpg

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Triadica sebifera. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Triadica sebifera QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)