Mountain Tallow Tree
Sapium discolor (Wikipedia)
Triadica cochinchinensis is a species of tree known as the mountain tallow tree.
| Triadica cochinchinensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Triadica |
| Species: | T. cochinchinensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Triadica cochinchinensis | |
| Synonyms | |
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See text | |
The seeds (as well as from those of Triadica sebifera) are the sources of stillingia oil, a drying oil used in paints and varnishes. The fatty coat of the seeds is known as stillingia tallow, hence its common name.
The two species were formerly classified in the genus Stillingia, as Stillingia discolor and Stillingia sebifera (hence the name of the oil and tallow). At some time before 1950, this tree was reclassified into the genus Sapium as Sapium discolor. In 2002 or so it was reclassified again into the genus Triadica with its present name.