Triadica sebifera

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. 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, about 12 mm in diameter and weighing about 0.15 g, 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==

Triadica sebifera is native to China, probably originally in the Zhejiang area, and it was described in the Tang pharmacopoeia Xinxiu bencao. Cultivation of the tree may have begun in the 7th century during the Tang dynasty in the Yangtze Delta region, and from there it spread westward and southward. The trees reached the Philippines, Taiwan, northern Vietnam and Hainan by the 17th century. It was also introduced to Japan during the Edo period. The tree was said to have been introduced to the US by Benjamin Franklin, who mentioned having obtained some seeds in a letter dated October 1772, but it may have actually been introduced to South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in early 1773 by John Bradby Blake who had access to the seeds earlier in late 1770 or early 1771. The Chinese Tallow Tree is listed as an invasive species in South Carolina. ==Uses==

The seed's white waxy aril is used in soap making (stillingia tallow). While the seed's inner oil (stillingia oil) is toxic but has industrial applications in the manufacturing of cloth dressing and drying oils. The nectar is non-toxic, and it has become a major honey plant for beekeepers. The honey produced from the plant is reputedly clear and of high quality. It is produced copiously during the month of June on the US Gulf Coast. In that region, beekeepers migrate with their honey bees to good tallow locations near the gulf. The tree is ornamental, fast growing, and provides shade. It is especially noteworthy if grown in areas that have strong seasonal temperature ranges with the leaves becoming a multitude of colours rivaling maples in the autumn. It is not choosy about soil types or drainage, but will not grow in deep shade. It has naturalized all over in Japan, and is reasonably hardy. It should not be planted outside of its native range due to its invasive tendencies. ==Invasive species==

The tallow tree is a non-native species to many places around the world. Its introduced status in North America along with the harm it causes to ecosystems makes the tree considered an invasive species there. Tallow trees present a danger of expansion that can hurt local ecosystems by out-competing native vegetation and creating a monoculture. The monoculture lowers species diversity and overall resilience of the area. The tree's tenacious nature, high growth rates, and high reproductive ability contribute to its invasive success. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tallow trees begin producing viable seed in as soon as three years. In the Houston area, Chinese tallow trees 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. The Texas Department of Agriculture lists Chinese Tallow as one of the 24 most invasive plants, and includes Chinese Tallow in a list of Noxious and Invasive Plants which are illegal to sell, distribute or import into Texas. Herbivores and insects have a conditioned behavioral avoidance to eating the leaves of Chinese tallow tree, and this, rather than plant toxins, may be a reason for the success of the plant as an invasive. In Europe, the species features on the Union list of invasive alien species. This means it is now illegal to import or sell this plant in the European Union. ==Biological control==

In parts of the USA, biological control of the Chinese tallow tree has been considered, using the flea beetle Bikasha collaris, whose larvae attack the roots, and the moth Gadirtha fusca, whose caterpillars attack the leaves. In those areas, the resulting prospect of losing the Chinese tallow as a honey source has caused concern in beekeepers. ==Synonyms and former names==

The species has several synonyms and former names: • Carumbium sebiferum (L.) Kurz, Forest Fl. Burma 2: 411, 412. 1877. • Croton sebiferh. ("sebiferus"), Sp. Pl.: 1004. 1753. • Excoecaria sebifera (L.) Müll.Arg. in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 1210. 1866. • Stillingia sebifera (L.) Michx., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 213. 1803. • Sapium chihsinianum S. K. Lee, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 5: 121, pl. 22. 1956. • Sapium discolor var. wenhsienensis S. B. Ho, Fl. Tsingliensis 1(3): 451, fig. 155. 1981. • Sapium pleiocarpum Y. C. Tseng, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 20: 105, fig. 1. 1982. • Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb., Fl. Ind. Ed. 1832, 3: 693. 1832. • Sapium sebiferum var. cordatum S. Y. Wang, Fl. Henan 2: 480. 1988. • Sapium sebiferum var. dabeshense B. C. Ding & T. B. Chao, Fl. Henan 2: 481. 1988. • Sapium sebiferum var. multiracemosum B. C. Ding & T. B. Chao, Fl. Henan 2: 480, fig. 1394. 1988. • Sapium sebiferum var. pendulum B. C. Ding & T. B. Chao, Fl. Henan 2: 481. 1988. • Seborium chínense Raf., Sylva Tellur.: 63. 1838, nomen superfl. • Seborium sebiferum (L.) Hurus., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 61: 30. 1948. • Triadica sinensis Lour., Fl. Cochinch.: 610. 1790. ==References==