Hillsborough County ISTF - Manatee County Extension Office ...

Chinese tallow treePopcorn treeSapium sebiferumIdentifying CharacteristicsDeciduous tree with milky sap, growing to 60 feet tall.Leaves alternate and ovate with broadly rounded basesthat taper to slender points, somewhat heart-shaped.Leaves turn yellow to red in fall. Flowers small, yellow, inspikes; occur in spring. Fruits are capsules, green turningbrown and splitting open to reveal three white seeds inlate summer to early fall. Seeds often remain attachedthroughout winter and resemble popcorn.Sap is milky and poisonous.HabitatInvades stream banks, roadside ditches and wet areas, butalso grows in upland areas. Shade- and salt-tolerant.Growth HabitsIntroduced as an ornamental and as a potential oil cropspecies. Early growth is very rapid, with onset of flowersand fruit when the tree reaches approximately three feetin height. Young trees establish a taproot system thatallows the tree to withstand extended periods of drought.Seeds dispersed by birds and by water. Suckers fromstumps.Control Methods: Cut-Stump or Basal BarkApply triclopyr amine to freshly cut stump or triclopyrester as basal bark or cut-stump treatment in late springor early summer after mature leaves have developed, andbefore seeds have developed. Reapplications may benecessary. Pull seedlings by hand. Dispose of seeds inplastic bags.ReplacementsBlack gum (Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora)Red maple (Acer rubrum)Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)Cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia)Turkey oak (Quercus laevis)Post oak (Quercus stellata)21