Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Malpighiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Vernicia fordii
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
See more pictures at www.invasive.org.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Vernicia at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vernicia fordii
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vernicia fordii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12 (2016)
Vernicia fordii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2003)
Aleurites fordii
COMMON NAME:
Tung-oil Tree
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5379625
April?
Large, terminal, branched clusters appear before the leaves, covering tree, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5379625b
April?
White petal lobes, throat splashed w red to maroon, lines radiating outward, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm090514_101
May Georgetown County SC
Hobcaw Barony
Fruit drops whole, then splits into 3-7 wedge-shaped sections each w a nut, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow s090514_17
May Georgetown County SC
Hobcaw Barony
)
JK Marlow s090514_18
May Georgetown County SC
Hobcaw Barony
)
JK Marlow s090514_1920
May Georgetown County SC
Hobcaw Barony
Leaves heart-shaped, or lobed with 3-5 pointed tips and a cordate base, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5379622
August
Bark light tan to light gray, tight, covered with corky dots, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5421962
October
)
Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org bug_1116082
Month Unknown
Leaves and nuts are poisonous, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org bug_1581046
Month Unknown
)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org bug_5309027
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Vernicia fordii
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vernicia fordii
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vernicia fordii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12
Vernicia fordii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2003)
Aleurites fordii
1605
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Planted for the oil and for ornament, now extensively naturalized in moist to dry upland forests, bottomland forests, and disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: China
Common in GA Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Southeast
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
LEAVES:
Deciduous (almost evergreen in the Deep South)
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
(with pink veins, purplish center)
5 petals, corolla campanulate
8-12 stamens
Usually bisexual
Inflorescence a flat-topped panicle of cymes
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Reddish-green
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p028
- New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018) p079
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p348
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p367
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