Herb: Japan Wood-Oil Tree


Latin name: Aleurites cordata


Synonyms: Dryandra cordata, Vernicia cordata, Vernicia montana


Family: Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Tree

Height:
7 m
(23 feet)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of Japan Wood-Oil Tree:

Rocky places to 1000 metres in W. China. Montane sparse forests below 1550 metres.

Other uses of the herb:

A drying oil obtained from the seed is used for treating woodwork, for lighting, soap making, varnish etc.

Propagation of Japan Wood-Oil Tree:

Seed - sow March/April in a warm greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in early summer and give the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of mature wood in a frame.

Cultivation of the herb:

Rocky places to 1000 metres in W. China. Montane sparse forests below 1550 metres.

Medicinal use of Japan Wood-Oil Tree:

None known

Known hazards of Aleurites cordata:

The oil from the seed is poisonous.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.