Sapium sebiferum

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Euphorbiaceae

Genus

Sapium

Life cycle

perennial

Foliage

deciduous

Woodiness

woody

Growth rate

vigorous

Height

9 m

Spread

5 m

Fertility

Insects, Bees

Flower type

monoecious

Pollinators

Insects, Bees

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The wax from the seed is used as a lard substitute or in cacao butter^[3][13]. The seed contains 8.1 - 9.2% protein and 40.5 - 50.7% fat^[16].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves and the roots are depurative, diuretic and laxative^[20][8][12]. A decoction is used in the treatment of oedema, constipation, poisoning by two plants - Polygonum perfoliatum and Tripterygium wilfordii, skin diseases etc^[8][16]. The leaves are particularly useful for treating boils^[16]. The seed is antidote, emetic, hydragogue and purgative^[16]. In China it is taken internally, which is a rather questionable practice considering its toxic nature^[16]. The root bark is diuretic^[16]. It is used in the treatment of snake bites and skin ulcers^[16]. The juice of the tree (the sap is probably meant here[K]) is acrid and vesicant^[17].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is coated with a wax. This wax, which comprises about 24% of the seed^[18], can be used to make candles and soap^{[1][20][5][21][2][11]}. It has excellent burning quality, and gives an inodorous clear bright flame^[18]. The wax is also used for making soap, cloth dressing and fuel^[18]. Pure tallow fat is known in commerce as Pi-yu^[18]. The wax is separated from the seed by steeping it in hot water and skimming off the wax as it floats to the surface^[7][9]. The wax is solid at temperatures below 40°c^[7]. It is said to change grey hair to black^[16]. The seed contains about 20% of a drying oil^[18]. It is used to make candles and soap^[5][7][9]. The oil is used in making varnishes and native paints because of its quick-drying properties^[18]. It is also used in machine oils and as a crude lamp oil^[18]. The pure oil expressed from the inner part of the seeds is known in commerce as Ting-yu^[18]. The residual cake, after the oil is expressed, is used as manure, particularly for tobacco fields^[18]. The leaves are rich in tannin^[12], a black dye can be obtained by boiling them in alum water^{[2][7][9][18]}.The plant is used as a soil binder along the sides of roads and canals^[18]. The wood is white, even and close grained, light, soft or moderately hard^[9][18]. It is suitable for carving and is also used for making blocks in Chinese printing, furniture making and incense^[18]. The wood is light and soft. It is used for fuel^[18].

Ecology and functions

Environment

Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.

Habitat

Found wild in the foothills around Dehra Dun^[7].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

no shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 9+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Salinity

tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in a sunny position in any well-drained soil^[15]. Grows well on canal banks, steep mountain slopes, granite hills and sandy beaches, succeeding in alkaline, saline or acid soils^[18]. It is said to thrive in alluvial forests, on low alluvial plains, and on rich leaf-molds, growing best in well-drained clayey-peat soils^[18]. Requires the protection of a south or south-west wall when grown in areas at the limits of its hardiness^[15]. Favourable climatic conditions are mean air temperatures of 12.5 to 30.1°C, and an annual precipitation from 130 to 370cm^[18]. This tree is not reliably hardy in Britain, though it was successfully grown here in the 18th century^[5]. It is able to withstand a few degrees of frost, but unripened twigs are particularly susceptible to frost injury^[18]. It succeeds outdoors in the milder parts of Britain when grown in a woodland garden^[10]. A fast-growing tree^[14], it is much cultivated in warm temperate regions for its seeds which are a source of vegetable tallow, a drying oil and protein food^[18]. The fruits yield two types of fats - the outer covering of the seeds contains a solid fat with a low iodine value and is known as Chinese Vegetable Tallow whilst the kernels produce a drying oil with high iodine value which is called Stillingia Oil^[5][4][18]. Many named varietis have been developed in the Orient, especially in Taiwan, for improved oil production^[18]. Plants require from 3 - 8 years to bear, but then continue to bear for an average of 70 - 100 years. They attain their full size in 10 - 12 years^[18]. Yields of 14 tonnes of seed per hectare, containing 2.6 tonnes of oil and 2.8 tones of tallow have been achieved^[18]. This yield could increase with age^[18]. The plant has escaped from cultivation in N. America and has become a serious pest there, displacing native vegetation. It apparently produces root secretions that modify soil chemistry and discourage the establishment of native species^[19]. Responds well to coppicing^[7].

Related plants

• Sapium japonicum
• Acalypha australis
• Aleurites cordataJapan Wood-Oil Tree
• Aleurites fordiiTung Tree

References

1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

   ↩

2. Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-217674-9

   ↩1↩2

3. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

   ↩

4. Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.

   ↩

5. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4

6. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

   ↩

7. Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972-00-00

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

8. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

   ↩1↩2

9. Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945-00-00

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4

10. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

    ↩

11. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

12. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩1↩2

13. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

14. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

15. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

16. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

17. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

18. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15↩16↩17↩18↩19↩20↩21↩22↩23↩24

19. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    • Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
    ↩

20. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

21. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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