Vernicia montana
Encyclopedia
Vernicia montana is a species of Vernicia
in the spurge family, native to Southeast Asia
, Southern China
. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching a height 30–45 ft (9.1–13.7 m). The leaves are large with three lobes. The monoecious white-petaled flowers emerged as inflorescence
s, containing both male and female flowers. The 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) fruit is a globular drupe
with wrinkled skin that turns from green to yellow upon ripening. Each fruit contains 3 seeds, rich in oil.
. The oil is prized as a wood finish. Preferring well drained, sandy soil the trees are grown on hillside plantations in northern Vietnam
. In nature, V montana can be found at the margins of primary forests.
The wood is also harvested.
Vernicia
The genus Vernicia, commonly referred to as Tung or Tung-oil Tree, is a genus in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, comprising three species, native to eastern and southeastern Asia....
in the spurge family, native to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, Southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching a height 30–45 ft (9.1–13.7 m). The leaves are large with three lobes. The monoecious white-petaled flowers emerged as inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s, containing both male and female flowers. The 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) fruit is a globular drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
with wrinkled skin that turns from green to yellow upon ripening. Each fruit contains 3 seeds, rich in oil.
Cultivation and uses
Vernicia montana is grown mostly for the seeds from which varnish is made similar to the tung treeTung tree
Vernicia fordii is a species of Vernicia in the spurge family, native to southern China, Burma, and northern Vietnam. Other vernacular names include Tung Oil Tree, Tung-oil Tree, Tungoil Tree, China Wood-Oil Tree, Kalo Nut Tree, 油桐 Vernicia fordii (Tung Tree; syn. Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) is a...
. The oil is prized as a wood finish. Preferring well drained, sandy soil the trees are grown on hillside plantations in northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In nature, V montana can be found at the margins of primary forests.
The wood is also harvested.