Wood-oil Tree –
Vernicia montana (Wikipedia)
Vernicia montana | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
Genus: | Vernicia |
Species: | V. montana
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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.