Vernicia montana Lour.

Mu oil tree (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Vernicia

Characteristics

A much-branched subdioecious tree up to 10 m.. Bark pale grey.. Wood soft, white.. Young shoots ferruginous pubescent, soon glabrescent except at the bases of the stipules.. Petiole 4.5–15(–20) cm. long, pubescent at first, soon glabrescent; leaf-blade broadly ovate or sometimes (on young trees and vigorous shoots) shallowly to moderately 3(–5)-lobed, (6–)10–20 cm. long, (5–)10–20 cm. wide, apex and lobes acutely acuminate, truncate or shallowly to deeply cordate, usually with 2 turbinate concave glands 2 mm. long adaxially at the base, and when lobed with a large subsessile discoid concave gland at the nadir of each sinus, lobes entire, (3–)5-nerved from the base, chartaceous, densely ferruginous pubescent above at first, sparingly so beneath, later becoming subglabrous above and beneath except along the midrib and main veins, dark green above, paler beneath.. Stipules triangular-lanceolate or lanceolate, 3–4 mm. long, subglabrous, readily deciduous leaving fairly prominent scars.. Inflorescences corymbiform, branched from the base, usually unisexual, the ♂ ones ± 12–20 cm. long and 20–30 cm. wide, the ♀ (3–)5–10 cm. long and 5–15 cm. wide; axes sparingly pubescent or subglabrous; lower bracts often leafy, lanceolate, up to 5.5 cm. long and 2 cm. wide, sparingly pubescent; upper bracts triangular-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm. long, 1–3 mm. wide.. Flowers fragrant, appearing with the leaves.. Male flowers: pedicels slender, 1 cm. long, ± glabrous; buds ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, ± 1 cm. long, apiculate, the calyx rupturing spathaceously for half to two-thirds its length into 2(–3) subequal or somewhat unequal lobes, glabrous, greenish yellow to pinkish yellow; petals oblanceolate-spathulate, clawed, 2.5 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, rounded at the apex, pubescent within on the claw, otherwise glabrous, white, reddish brown at the base; disc-glands erect, cylindric-fusiform or subulate, fleshy, 3–4 mm. long, bifid or not at the apex, whitish; stamens 10–14, united in a column 1.7 cm. high, the 5–9 outer slightly shorter than the 5 inner, the filaments reddish brown, those of the outer whorl pubescent at the junction with the column, anthers ovoid, 2 mm. long, yellow.. Female flowers: calyx and petals as in the ♂; disc-glands ovoid-fusiform, 1–2 mm. long; ovary oblong-ovoid or ellipsoid and trigonous, narrowing into the styles, 5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, densely ferruginous-tomentose; styles 0.9–1 cm. long, pubescent at the base, yellowish green, the stigmas 0.5 cm. long, somewhat tubercled and reddish.. Fruits ovoid-subglobose, 3–5-lobed and-ridged, 4–6 cm. long, 4–4.5 cm. wide, apiculate, ± flattened at the base, with lateral ridges between the main ones, sparingly pubescent, especially near the ridges, green at first, greenish yellow when ripe.. Seeds broadly ovoid, compressed, 2–3 cm. long, 2–2.5 cm. wide, ± smooth on the ventral surface and warty on the dorsal surface, brownish.. Fig. 35/1–4.
More
Trees evergreen, up to 20 m tall, usually dioecious; bark brown; branches glabrous, with sparsely elevated lenticels. Petiole 7-17 cm, glabrous, apex with 2 stalked and cupular glands; leaf blade broadly ovate, 8-20 × 6-18 cm, pubescent on both surfaces when young, only abaxially pubescent along base of nerves at maturity, base cordate to truncate, margin entire or 2-5-fid, apex acute to acuminate, sinus usually with cupular glands. Inflorescences produced with new leaves, usually unisexual. Male flowers: calyx ca. 10 mm, 2-or 3-fid, glabrous; petals obovate, 2-3 cm, base clawed, white or purple-red at base and with purple-red nerve-stripes; stamens 8-10; filaments hairy, outer filaments free, inner filaments connate at and below middle. Female flowers: calyx and petals as in male; ovary densely brown pubescent, 3-locular; styles 3, bipartite. Drupes ovoid, 3-5 cm in diam., longitudinally 3-angular, between angles with sparsely reticulate wrinkles, 3-seeded. Seeds compressed globose; seed coat thicker, verrucose. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jul-Oct.
Male flowers: pedicels up to 1 cm long, subglabrous; buds 1–1.3 × 0.5 cm, ovoid-ellipsoid, apiculate, rupturing for half to two-thirds of their length into 2(3) subequal or unequal lobes, glabrous; petals 1.5–2.5 × 0.7 cm, oblanceolate-spathulate, unguiculate, rounded, pubescent within on the claw, otherwise glabrous, white; disk glands 3–4 mm long, erect, subulate, sometimes bifid, fleshy, whitish; staminal column 20 mm high, the outer stamens c. 15 mm long, filaments pubescent at the base, otherwise glabrous, anthers c. 2 × 1 mm.
Leaf blades 4–20 × 4–18 cm, broadly ovate, entire or 3-lobed, leaf blade and lobes acutely acuminate at the apex, entire on the margins, truncate to cordate at the base, usually with 2 turbinate glands 1–3 mm long adaxially at the base, and with one gland in each sinus of the lobed leaves, 3–5-nerved from the base, glabrescent except at the base.
Female flowers: pedicels extending to 15 mm long in fruit; calyx and petals as in the male flowers; disk glands 1–2 mm long, triangular-lanceolate, sometimes bifid; ovary 5 × 3 mm, ovoid-ellipsoid, trigonous, narrowing into the styles, densely ferrugineous-tomentose; styles c. 8 mm long, pubescent at the base, stigmas glabrous.
Male inflorescences 15 × 15–20 cm, broadly corymbiform, branching from the base; lower bracts 5–6 × 2–3 cm, foliaceous, elliptic-ovate to linear-lanceolate, persistent, progressively smaller and less persistent upwards. Flowers appearing with the leaves (coaetaneous).
Young shoots, base of leaves, inflorescence branches and young fruits crisped ferrugineous-pubescent.
Fruit c. 3.5 × 4 cm, ovoid-subglobose, apiculate, 3(5)-ridged, laxly reticulate, glabrescent.
Seeds 2–2.5 × 2–2.5 cm, broadly compressed-ovoid, ± smooth, brownish.
Female inflorescences resembling the male, but often smaller.
A tree up to 15 m tall with a large crown, subdioecious.
Stipules 2–4 × 1 mm, lanceolate, ciliate.
Petioles 1–25 cm long, ± glabrous.
Inflorescences usually unisexual.
Bark smooth or roughened, grey.
Wood soft.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 12.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Disturbed places and margins of evergreen forest, or in depleted forest along the road, in dry, sandy soils, at elevations up to 1,200 metres in Laos.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-5
Soil texture 4-7
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses animal food construction environmental use food fuel material medicinal oil poison tea wood
Edible -
Therapeutic use Antineoplastic agents (aerial part), Antiprotozoal agents (aerial part), Antineoplastic agents (whole plant), Antiprotozoal agents (whole plant), Cardiovascular system (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Vernicia montana unspecified picture

Distribution

Vernicia montana world distribution map, present in Angola, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Vernicia montana threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:358199-1
WFO ID wfo-0000332486
COL ID 5B48L
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Vernicia montana Aleurites montanus Dryandra vernicia Elaeococca montana Aleurites vernicius Aleurites cordatus Elaeococca vernicia