Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Malpighiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Triadica sebifera
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
See more pictures at www.invasive.org.
Read more about Triadica at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Triadica sebifera
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Triadica sebifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12 (2016)
Triadica sebifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-08-001:
Sapium sebiferum FAMILY Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Triadica sebifera
COMMON NAME:
Popcorn Tree, Chinese Tallow-tree
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / US Forest Service pnd_sase5_002_lhd
)
wwwgalvbayinvas_triadica
https://www.galvbayinvasives.org
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307044
May
)
JK Marlow jkm090514_015
May Charleston County SC
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
)
JK Marlow jkm090514_048
May Charleston County SC
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
Invades streambanks, riverbanks, and wet areas, as well as upland sites, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
)
JK Marlow jkm090515_016
May Georgetown County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm090515_019
May Georgetown County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm090515_028
May Georgetown County SC
)
JK Marlow s090515_16
May Georgetown County SC
)
JK Marlow s090515_16b
May Georgetown County SC
Leaves rhombic-ovate, long acuminate, entire, base rounded to almost truncate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307038
June
Slender drooping spike to 8" long, female flowers at base, male along spike, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_sebifera_oakywoods3
June Houston County GA
Oaky Woods WMA
Flowers yellowish-green in terminal 3-35cm racemes, per Flora of China.
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_sebifera_oakywoods7
June Houston County GA
Oaky Woods WMA
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_0016034
September
Small terminal clusters of (usually) 3-lobed capsules, each 1.2-2cm across, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org bug_2151096
Month Unknown
Bark light gray and fissured, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_5005006
Month Unknown
)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org bug_5309018
Month Unknown
Capsules split to reveal 3 white-wax coated seeds that resemble popcorn, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org bug_5407105
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Triadica sebifera
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Triadica sebifera
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Triadica sebifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12
Triadica sebifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-08-001:
Sapium sebiferum
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Triadica sebifera
1318
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Marsh edges, swamps, riverbanks, shell deposits, upland forests, disturbed areas. Triadica sebifera has become a serious invasive weed from se. NC south and west to se. TX (Vogt et al. 2021). Reported for King and Queen County, VA (DeBerry & Hunter 2018), and McCurtain County, OK (Buthod, Hoagland, & Arbour 2019) showing its continued spread, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: east Asia
Common in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, uncommon in NC Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
Petioles 2-6cm long
Margins entire
Leaves are subtended by stipules.
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellowish-green
2-3 sepals
Petals absent
Unisexual
Inflorescence a spikelike raceme
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p405
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p519
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p125
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p022
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p083
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p352
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p252
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p204
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p320
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".