Wood-oil Tree –
Vernicia montana (Wikipedia)
| Vernicia montana | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Vernicia |
| Species: | V. montana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Vernicia montana | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aleurites montana | |
Vernicia montana, the mu oil tree, or chine wood oil tree, is a species of Vernicia in the spurge family, native to Southeast Asia (including Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam), southern China, and Taiwan. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching a height 20 metres (66 ft). The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.
The leaves are large with three lobes. The monoecious white-petaled flowers emerged as inflorescences, containing both male and female flowers. The 2–3 inches (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.