214 CHINESE ECONOMIC TREES 



at the apex, green and turning into a brilliant red in the autumn. 

 Capsule 12 mm. long, 15 mm. broad, globose elliptical, blackish-brown 

 when ripe, 3 celled, each containing 1 seed which adheres for some time 

 to the central column of the capsule. Seeds black, covered with a white 

 coating of a waxy substance. 



Kiangsu, Chekiang, Fukien, Hupeh, Szechuan, Kwangtung, Hainan, 

 Formosa, Hongkong and Japan. 



Sapium sebiferum is the source of the vegetable tallow extensively used 

 for the manufacture of candles. In the autumn the fruits are dried in the 

 sun in order to release the seeds, which are coated with a fatty substance. 

 The seeds are steamed and rubbed through a sieve to separate the wax, 

 which is then melted and allowed to harden in molds. This is the pure 

 tallow, Pe Yu. It is hard, tasteless and colorless, with a melting point of 

 70 deg. C. (104 deg. F.) This tallow is made into candles particularly 

 for the services of the temples, because they burn with a clear, odorless 

 flame. It is also used to impart gloss to cloth and for sizing paper. The 

 cleaned seeds with the coating of tallow removed, are then lightly bruised 

 in mill stones, roasted, and pressed for the oil which they contain, which 

 is the Ting Yu of commerce. The yield is about 50% by weight of the 

 dry seeds. The oil is strongly odorous, yellowish in color, with a drying 

 property which is used for waterproofing hats and umbrellas. It makes- 

 a fairly good iliuminant. The third product obtained from the tallow tree 

 is the Mo Yu, a mixture of the fatty wax and the oil from the kernels, 

 derived by simultaneous extraction. The leaves of Sapium sebiferum 

 yield a black dye used in dying cotton black. The wood is white and 

 fairly hard, used for a variety of purposes, among them the making of 

 printing blocks. Ting Yu is sometimes used in medicine for its purgative 

 properties. The leaves of this species are brilliantly colored in the autumn. 



DAPHNIPHYLLUM 



Evergreen shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, entire, pinnately 

 veined, large, coriaceous, glaucous below, without stipules. Flowers 

 dioecious, apetalous,- in axillary racemes. Calyx 3-8 parted; stamens 

 5-18; ovary imperfectly 2 celled; ovules 2 in each cell. Fruit a small 

 olive-like drupe usually 1 seeded. 



About 11 or 12 species in tropical Asia, of which 3 occur in China. 

 The following is the only one attaining tree size. 



