Vernicia montana Lour.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Vumba rd, nr Mountain Lodge

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Synonyms:	Aleurites montana (Lour.) Wilson
Common names:	Chinese wood-oil tree (English)
Description:	Tree, to 15 m with crisped-ferrugineous indumentum. Leaves: petiole long, to 25 cm; lamina broadly ovate, entire to 3-lobed, with 2 turbinate glands at the base of the lamina and one in each of the sinuses of the lobes. Inflorescences usually unisexual, broadly corymbose. Flowers appearing with the leaves. Male flowers: petals 1.5-2.5 cm, clawed, white; staminal column to 2 cm. Female flowers similar to male but ovary densely ferrugineous-tomentose. Fruit c. 3.5 × 4 cm, ovoid-subspherical, apiculate, 3(-5)-ridged and laxly reticulate.
Notes:	This species is included on the basis of two records. The first is the checklist of Chirinda Forest species where it is recorded as cultivated and naturalised. The second is our record from near the former Mountain Lodge hotel in the Vumba, where although the major trees were probably planted, numerous smaller trees have arisen spontaneously.
Derivation of specific name:	montana: of mountainous areas (montane)
Flowering time:	Oct
Worldwide distribution:	Southern China, Burma, Indochina and Thailand
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 301 - 303. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Vernicia montana:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Vernicia montana
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Vernicia montana
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Vernicia montana
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Vernicia montana
Flora of Zimbabwe: Vernicia montana

External websites:

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