Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Chinese tallow is a small deciduous tree that averages from 30' to 50' in height, with a thin canopy that may be rounded or pyramidal. The trunk is often gnarled. |
| Leaves: | The leaves are simple, alternately arranged and broadly ovate or triangular (rhombic). Leaves are 1 ½" to 3" long and have rounded leaf bases with two distinct glands and scale-like bracts where the petioles connect. The leaf tips are acuminate (slightly pointed) and margins are entire. Leaf surfaces are smooth (glabrous) above and below. The medium-green leaves turn bright orange and red in the autumn. |
| Twigs: | Twigs may be either smooth or waxy (glaucous) and often show small brown lenticels. |
| Bark: | The bark is light gray, with vertical fissures and flat ridges. The tree has toxic, milky-white sap. |
| Flowers: | The flowers of Chinese tallow are attractive to bees and other insects and are borne in spikes roughly 8 inches long and appear from April to June. No petals are present but the sepals are yellowish-green. |
| Fruit: | Tallow produces ½" brown capsules that split open to reveal large, white, waxy seeds. These may persist on the tree for several months, hence the nickname of popcorn tree. |
Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List:
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