Vernicia fordii (Hemsl.) Airy Shaw

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Photo: Mark Hyde
In garden in Close off St Michael's Lane, Borrowdale, Harare

Synonyms:	Aleurites fordii Hemsl.
Common names:	China wood-oil-tree (English) Tung nut (English) Tung tree (English) Tung-oil tree (English)
Description:	Tree, to 15 m with appressed golden-sericeous indumentum. Leaves: petiole long, to 25 cm; lamina broadly ovate, entire to 3-lobed, with 2 sessile discoid glands at the base of the lamina and one in each of the sinuses of the lobes. Inflorescences usually bisexual, broadly corymbose. Flowers appearing before the leaves. Male flowers: petals c.3 cm, clawed, white; staminal column to 2 cm. Female flowers similar to male but ovary sparingly pubescent. Fruit c. 3.5 × 4 cm, subspherical, apiculate, smooth or faintly lined.
Notes:	This species is included on the basis the record in the checklist of Chirinda Forest species where it is recorded as cultivated and naturalised.
Derivation of specific name:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Southern China, Burma and northern Vietnam; commonly cultivated in the tropics
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Image last updated:	Saturday 22 October 2005
Literature:	Biegel, H.M. (1977). Check-list of ornamental plants used in Rhodesian parks and gardens. Rhodesia Agricultural Journal. Research Report No. 3. Page 20. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 302 - 303. (Includes a picture).

Flora of Malawi: cultivated Vernicia fordii
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Vernicia fordii

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Vernicia fordii
African Plant Database: Vernicia fordii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Vernicia fordii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Vernicia fordii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Vernicia fordii
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iNaturalist: Vernicia fordii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Vernicia fordii
JSTOR Plant Science: Vernicia fordii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Vernicia fordii
Plants of the World Online: Vernicia fordii
Tropicos: Vernicia fordii
Wikipedia: Vernicia fordii