South American Milk Tree 



60 1 



I. CHINESE TALLOW TREE Sapium sebiferum (Linnaus) Roxburgh 

 Croton sebijerum LiniKi'us. Stillingia sebijera Michaux 



This large poplar- like tree has been introduced into our area as a shade tree 

 from China or Japan, and has become naturalized from North Carolina to Florida 

 and Louisiana, where it reaches a maximum height of 15 meters. 



The bark is about 10 mm. thick, rather smooth and reddish brown. The 

 twigs are slender, round, smooth 

 and marked by numerous leaf 

 scars, yellowish brown or gray. 

 The leaves are alternate, thin, 

 or membranous, rhombic, 4 to 8 

 cm. long, taper-pointed, broadly 

 wedge-shaped at the base, wavy 

 on the margin, dark green and 

 smooth above, paler beneath, 

 prominently veined on either sur- 

 face; the leaf-stalk is slender, with 

 a gland near the top, and as long 

 as or longer than the blade. The 

 flowers appear in the spring in 

 terminal, slender spikes 5 to 10 

 cm. long. The fruit is a 3-lobed 

 capsule, 1.5 cm, in diameter, de- 

 pressed-globose, abruptly pointed, 

 dark brown, the thick walls separating readily into cleft segments exposing the 3 

 large seeds which are 8 to 9 mm. long, coated with a white, waxy substance under 

 which is a dark brown, thick testa. They hang on by light threads for some time 

 after the opening of the capsule, when their waxy whiteness is in strong contrast 

 to the reddish autumnal foliage. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, nearly white; its specific gravity is about 

 0.51; it is used in Asia for furniture, and it is said that the Chinese make their 

 wooden type or printing blocks from this wood. A brittle wax, used for candle 

 making in Asiatic countries is obtained from the seed coat. 



Fig. 552. Chinese Tallow Tree. 



2. SOUTH AMERICAN MILK TREE 



Morong 



Sapium glandulosum (Linnaeus) 



Hippomane glandulosa Linnaeus. Hippomane biglandulosa Linnaeus. Sapium biglan- 



dulosum J. Mueller 



This willow-Hke, South American tree or shrub has become naturahzed in 

 Florida, especially about Pensacola; its maximum height is about 13 meters. 

 The bark is about 8 mm. thick, fissured into small scales of an ashy gray color. 



