Triadica sebifera

Chinese tallowtree

Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Chinese tallowtree is a naturalized shrub found in northern Sierra Nevada Foothills and the Great Valley at elevations of 10 to 300 meters, commonly growing along stream edges. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces small, understated flowers in elongated inflorescences up to 16 centimeters long. Growing up to 13 meters tall as a deciduous shrub, it develops a spreading form with multiple stems. Its leaves are widely elliptic to roughly ovate, measuring 3 to 9 centimeters long with pointed tips and attached to petioles 2 to 7 centimeters in length. The fruit is approximately 13 millimeters long, containing seeds that are nearly spherical and 6 to 9 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Stream edges

Bloom period: Spring-summer

Elevation: 10-300 m

Bioregions: n SNF, GV

California counties: Los Angeles, Yolo, Sacramento

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.