Taxon: Triadica sebifera (L.) Small

Summary

Genus:

Triadica

Family:

Euphorbiaceae

Subfamily:

Euphorbioideae

Tribe:

Hippomaneae

Subtribe:

Hippomaninae

Nomen number:

410718

Place of publication:

Man. s.e. fl. 789. 1933

Verified:

09/12/2000 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

19 (1 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Croton sebifer L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.
Stillingia sebifera (L.) Michx.

No images

Links

Forestry Images – Images of invasive weeds from www.forestryimages.org

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Balakrishnan, N. P. & T. Chakrabarty. 2007. The family Euphorbiaceae in India; a synopsis of its profile, taxonomy and bibliography
Campbell, F. T., ed. 1995. Report of National Coalition of Exotic Plant Pest Councils (unpublished draft) Note: = Sapium sebiferum
Esser, H.-J. et al. 1997. A phylogenetic classification of the Malesian Hippomaneae (Euphorbiaceae). Syst. Bot. 22:620. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
Esser, H.-J. 1999. A partial revision of the Hippomaneae (Euphorbiaceae) in Malesia. Blumea 44:197-206.
Esser, H.-J. 2002. A revision of Triadica Lour. (Euphorbiaceae). Harvard Pap. Bot. 7:19-21.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
Steward, A. N. 1958. Manual of vascular plants of the lower Yangtze valley. Note: = Sapium sebiferum
USDA National Agricultural Library. National Invasive Species Information Center (on-line resource).
Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2018. Mid-Atlantic invasive plant species (on-line resource)

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	candleberry-tree	as Sapium sebiferum	1	Steward, A. N. 1958. Manual of vascular plants of the lower Yangtze valley. Note: = Sapium sebiferum
English	Chinese tallowtree		1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	popcorntree	as Sapium sebiferum	1	Campbell, F. T., ed. 1995. Report of National Coalition of Exotic Plant Pest Councils (unpublished draft) Note: = Sapium sebiferum
English	tallowtree	as Sapium sebiferum	1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
French	arbre à suif	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
French	boiré	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
German	chinesischer Talgbaum	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
Indonesian	kasumbi	as Triadica sebiferum	2	Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
Indonesian (Java)	kirendang	as Triadica sebiferum	2	Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
Japanese Rōmaji	nankin-haze	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan. Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Portuguese	árvore-do-sebo		2	PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Portuguese	pau-do-sebo		2	PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Portuguese (Brazil)	leiteiro	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	árbol del sebo	as Sapium sebiferum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Sapium sebiferum
Swedish	kinesiskt talgträd		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chinese	wu jiu		2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Anhui Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Fujian Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Gansu Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guangdong Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guizhou Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hainan Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hubei Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangsu Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangxi Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shaanxi Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shandong Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Sichuan Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Yunnan Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Zhejiang Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan			Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae
2	Cultivated					lesser cult. elsewhere	Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Georgia			Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	China	China			Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan			Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan			Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan			Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India		n.	Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Singapore			Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana		Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.

Native
Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China [Anhui Sheng, Fujian Sheng, Gansu Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Shaanxi Sheng, Shandong Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Taiwan

Asia-Tropical

INDO-CHINA: Vietnam

Cultivated

REGION:

Asia-Temperate

CAUCASUS: Georgia
CHINA: China
EASTERN ASIA: Japan, Taiwan

Naturalized
Asia-Temperate

EASTERN ASIA: Japan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India (n.), Pakistan
MALESIA: Indonesia, Singapore

Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]

Reference(s)

Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
Weakley, A. S. 2011. Flora of the southern and middle Atlantic states.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Environmental	shade/shelter		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Fuels	petroleum substitute/alcohol	potential, as Sapium sebiferum	Goffman, F. D. & N. V. Gomez. 1996. Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Jojoba and its uses and of the Third International Conference on New Industrial Crops and Products. 225-228. Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Human food	oil/fat		Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Human food	oil/fat	as Sapium sebiferum	Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Human food	oil/fat	as Sapium sebiferum	Facciola, S. 1990. Cornucopia, a source book of edible plants Kampong Publications. Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Materials	lipids	for manufacturing candles and soaps, as Sapium sebiferum	Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 470. Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Materials	tannin/dyestuff		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Materials	wax	oil used for manufacturing candles and soaps, as Sapium sebiferum	Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 470. Note: as Sapium sebiferum
Materials	wood		PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Medicines	folklore		Vossen, H. A. M. van der & B. E. Umali, eds. 2001. Vegetable oils and fats. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 14:138-142.
Vertebrate poisons	mammals		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Weed			Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Weed		as Sapium sebiferum	Campbell, F. T., ed. 1995. Report of National Coalition of Exotic Plant Pest Councils (unpublished draft) Note: = Sapium sebiferum

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=410718. Accessed 9 May 2026.