Vernicia montana

Vernicia montana, the mu oil tree,[1] or chine wood oil tree,[2] 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).[3] The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.[4] 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.

Vernicia montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Vernicia
Species:
V. montana
Binomial name
Vernicia montana
Synonyms

Aleurites montana
Aleurites vernicia
Aleurites cordata

Cultivation and uses

Vernicia montana is grown mostly for the seeds from which a varnish is made similar to the tung tree. The oil is prized as a wood finish.[2] As the tree prefers well drained, sandy soils, the trees are grown on hillside plantations in northern Vietnam. In nature, V montana can be found at the margins of primary forests.

The wood is also harvested.

References
  1. "Vernicia montana". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. Thomas McKeon, Douglas Hayes, David Hildebrand, Randall Weselake (Editors) Industrial Oil Crops, p. 243, at Google Books
  3. Bingtao Li & Michael G. Gilbert. "Vernicia montana". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 239, at Google Books
  • Nguyen, Duong Van. Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Santa Monica, CA: Mekong, 1993.


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