Chinese tallow 493238 215530878 2008-05-28T16:44:12Z DumZiBoT 6085301 robot Adding: [[pl:Drzewo łojowe]] {{Taxobox | name = Chinese tallow | image = Tallow2232.JPG | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Chinese tallow tree <br>leaves and blossom buds | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Malpighiales]] | familia = [[Euphorbiaceae]] | subfamilia = [[Euphorbioideae]] | tribus = [[Hippomaneae]] | subtribus = [[Hippomaninae]] | genus = ''[[Triadica]]'' | species = '''''T. sebifera''''' | binomial = ''Triadica sebifera'' | binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]) [[John Kunkel Small|Small]] }} '''''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 [[Leaf|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. 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]]. ==Physical characteristics== 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. [[Image:ChineseTallowSeedpods.jpg|thumb|left|Seed pods]] The waxy green leaves set off the clusters of greenish-yellow and white [[flower]]s at bloom time. The flowers occur in terminal spike-like [[inflorescence]]s 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. ==Range and habitat== [[Image:Triadica sebifera in the USA.svg|thumb|100px|right|Range in the United States]] The plant is found throughout the southern [[United States]]. It was introduced in colonial times and has become [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] from [[South Carolina]] southward along the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and the entire [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf coast]], where it grows profusely along ditchbanks and [[Dike (construction)|dikes]]. It grows especially well in open fields and abandoned farmland, and along the edges of the [[Western Gulf coastal grasslands]] biome, sometimes forming [[Monoculture|pure stands]].<ref>[http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/pg_trse6.doc CHINESE TALLOW TREE]. [[United States Department of Agriculture]] and Natural Resources Conservation Service. Last accessed April 13, 2008.</ref> In the [[Greater Houston|Houston area]], Chinese tallowtrees account for a full 23 percent of all trees, more than any other tree species and is the only invasive tree species in the 14 most common species in the area.<ref>[http://www.houstonregionalforest.org/Report/Page05 Tree Population Characteristics]. Houston's Regional Forest Report: A Report of Structure, Functions, and Values. U.S. Forest Service and the Texas Forest Service. Published October 24, 2005. Last accessed April 13, 2008.</ref> Herbivores and insects have a conditioned behavioral avoidance to eating the leaves of Chinese tallowtree, and this, rather than plant toxins, may be a reason for the succes of the plant as an invasive.<ref>[http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0307-6946.2004.00575.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=een Constraints on the utilisation of the invasive Chinese tallow tree Sapium sebiferum by generalist native herbivores in coastal prairies]. Richard A. Lankau1, William E. Rogers, and Evan Siemann, Ecological Entomology, Volume 29, p. 66-75. Published February 2004. Last accessed April 13, 2008.</ref> The plant is sold in [[Nursery (horticulture)|nurseries]] as an [[Ornamental plant|ornamental]] tree. It is not choosy about [[soil]] types or [[drainage]], but will not grow in deep shade. It commonly grows all over Japan, and is reasonably hardy. It is prized for its abundant and often spectacular autumn foliage. ==Uses== [[Image:DeerNaraJapan.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Sapium sebiferum in autumn, Japan]] The wax of the seeds is harvested by placing the seeds in hot water, and skimming the surface of the water. Though other parts of the plant are toxic, the wax is not, and it can be used as a substitute for [[vegetable oil]] in cooking. The [[nectar]] is also non-toxic, and it has become a major [[honey plant]] for [[beekeeper]]s. The honey is not of high quality, being sold as [[bakery]] grade, but is produced copiously at a barren time of year, after most of the other spring bloom is done. In the Gulf coast states, beekeepers migrate with their [[honey bee]]s to good tallow locations near the sea. 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. ==References== {{Reflist}} <gallery> Image:UC Davis arboretum - Sapium sebiferum.jpg|Sapium sebiferum </gallery> ==External links== {{Commonscat|Sapium sebiferum}} * [http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/sapium.html University of Florida: Chinese tallow] * [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TRSE6 PLANTS Profile for ''Triadica sebifera''] * [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=712&fr=1&sts= ISSG Database entry for ''Triadica sebifera''] {{Bioenergy}} [[Category:Energy crops]] [[Category:Euphorbiaceae]] [[Category:Flora of Asia]] [[Category:Invasive plant species]] [[Category:Medicinal plants]] [[Category:Trees]] [[es:Triadica sebifera]] [[ja:ナンキンハゼ]] [[pl:Drzewo łojowe]] [[pt:Sapium sebiferum]] [[ru:Сальное дерево]] [[zh:烏桕]]