Family: Euphorbiaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) is a deciduous tree native to central and southern China, Vietnam, and other parts of temperate eastern Asia. It is valued for its attractive appearance, with heart-shaped leaves that turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red in autumn, as well as its distinctive white, wax-coated seeds. Historically, the waxy seed coating has been used to produce candles, soaps, and other products, while the seed oil has been used for industrial purposes. The tree has also been widely planted as an ornamental, shade tree, and nectar source for honey production because of its rapid growth and adaptability to a wide range of growing conditions.

Risks & Threats
Although Chinese tallow is currently not known to be naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands, it possesses several characteristics that are cause for concern. It produces abundant seeds that are readily dispersed by birds and water, grows rapidly, tolerates a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions, and readily colonizes disturbed areas. In regions where it has become invasive, it forms dense stands that displace native vegetation, alter habitat structure, change soil properties, and interfere with natural ecosystem processes. Because these traits could allow it to detrimentally impact tropical island ecosystems if it were to establish in Hawaiʻi, ongoing evaluation and caution are warranted. When selecting trees for landscaping or restoration projects, choosing a low-risk or native alternative is recommended whenever suitable options are available.

High Risk Traits:

• Highly suited to tropical/subtropical climates and versatile across environments
  
• Repeated introductions and widespread naturalization outside native range
  
• Major environmental weed; forms monospecific stands and displaces native plants
  
• Forms dense thickets
  
• Toxic to livestock and humans (sap causes skin/GI irritation)
  
• Shade-tolerant; invades intact forests
  
• Massive seed production (up to 100,000 seeds/tree annually)
  
• Persistent seed bank (>1 year, up to 7 years in storage)
  
• Dispersed by birds and water
  
• Self-compatible; freely self-seeds
  
• Tolerates mutilation/herbivory (invasive ecotypes compensate for damage)
  
• Early maturation (reproduces within 3 years)

Low Risk Traits:

• Not an agricultural or forestry weed
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Few major pests or pathogens in introduced range
  
• No external seed attachment mechanisms
  
• Well-controlled by herbicides (e.g., triclopyr, imazapyr)