Chinese Tallow

Scientific Name

Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (ITIS)

Common Name

Chinese tallow, popcorn tree

Synonym

Sapium sebiferum (ITIS)

Native To

China and Japan (Meyer 2011)

Date of U.S. Introduction

1700s (Meyer 2011)

Means of Introduction

Introduced as an ornamental and to be cultivated for seed oil (Miller et al. 2010)

Impact

Crowds out native species (McCormick 2005)

Chinese tallowtree foliage

Credit

Photo by Cheryl McCormick; The University of Florida

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

Spotlights

Chinese Tallow Leaf Litter Negatively Affects Frogs
- May 12, 2022
- USDA. FS. Southern Research Station. CompassLive.
- Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is a nonnative, invasive tree whose decaying leaf litter alters water quality and the microbial community in the wetland habitats. This negatively impacts the lifecycle of semi-aquatic species like frogs.
APHIS Announces Availability of an Environmental Assessment on Agents to Biologically Control Chinese Tallow
- Jan 21, 2021
- USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is accepting comment on an environmental assessment (EA) that addresses the environmental impacts of releasing the insects Bikasha collaris and Gadirtha fusca to biologically control the invasive Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) in the contiguous U.S.
  
  APHIS is making the EA available to the public for review and comment for thirty days starting on Jan 21, 2021. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before Feb 22, 2021 at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/APHIS-2020-0035.
  
  *USDA has re-opened the comment period and will consider comments received by April 23, 2021. To comment, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket/APHIS-2020-0035.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Chinese Tallowtree
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
- Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Videos

YouTube - Chinese Tallow
- Google. YouTube; University of Florida. IFAS. Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
YouTube - Help Stop the Popcorn Tree!
- Google. YouTube; Mississippi Forestry Commission.

All Resources

View and Filter All Chinese Tallow Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force

Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - Chinese Tallowtree
- Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Partnership

Global Invasive Species Database - Triadica sebifera (tree)
- IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Chinese Tallowtree
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Triadica sebifera
- CAB International.
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Triadica sebifera
- USDA. FS. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.
Southern Forest Health - Chinese Tallow Tree
- USDA. Forest Service; Southern Regional Extension Forestry. Forest Health Program.
- Includes species related publications, webinars and other resources.
Texas Invasives Database - Triadica sebifera
- TexasInvasives.org.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Chinese Tallow Tree, Popcorn Tree
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Federal Government

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Triadica sebifera
- USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Chinese Tallow
- USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
- See also: Plant Guide - Chinese Tallow Tree [PDF, 126 KB]
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Triadica sebifera
- USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government

NSW WeedWise: Chinese tallow tree
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).

State and Local Government

Forest Health - Invasive Plants: Chinese Tallow Tree
- Mississippi Forestry Commission.
Noxious Weeds - Sapium sebiferum
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Division of Plant Industry.
Weed Alerts: Chinese Tallow
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Academic

Invasive Species in Pasture Systems: Chinese Tallowtree
- 2018
- Mississippi State University. Extension.
Management Options for Chinese Tallowtree
- Jan 2015
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
AQUAPLANT - Chinese Tallow
- Texas A&M University. AgriLife Extension Service. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.
Arkansas Invasives - Chinese Tallow Tree
- University of Arkansas. Cooperative Extension Service.
Chinese Tallow Story Map
- Texas A&M University. Texas A&M Forest Service.
EDIS Topic - Chinese Tallow
- University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
- Electronic Data Information Source - publication resources
Plant Profile: Triadica sebifera
- University of Florida. IFAS. Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

Professional

Chinese Tallow (Popcorn Tree): Exotic Ornamental Gone Wild [PDF, 247 KB]
- Bay County Conservancy (Florida).
- See also: Invasive Exotic Plants for more publications

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Triadica sebifera. [Accessed Sep 18, 2023].
McCormick, C.M. 2005. Chinese Tallow Management Plan for Florida [PDF, 5.21 MB] Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Chinese Tallow Task Force.
Meyer, R. 2011. Triadica sebifera. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
Miller, J.H., E.B, Chambliss, and N.J. Loewenstein. 2010. Tallowtree, Popcorntree. In: A field guide for the identification of invasive plants in southern forests [PDF, 13.27 MB] (General Technical Report SRS-119). Asheville, NC: U.S. Forest Service, p. 23.

Find more images

Spotlights

Chinese Tallow Leaf Litter Negatively Affects Frogs

APHIS Announces Availability of an Environmental Assessment on Agents to Biologically Control Chinese Tallow

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Chinese Tallowtree

Videos

YouTube - Chinese Tallow

YouTube - Help Stop the Popcorn Tree!

All Resources

Selected Resources

Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - Chinese Tallowtree

Global Invasive Species Database - Triadica sebifera (tree)

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Chinese Tallowtree

Invasive Species Compendium - Triadica sebifera

Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Triadica sebifera

Southern Forest Health - Chinese Tallow Tree

Texas Invasives Database - Triadica sebifera

The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Chinese Tallow Tree, Popcorn Tree

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Triadica sebifera

PLANTS Database - Chinese Tallow

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Triadica sebifera

NSW WeedWise: Chinese tallow tree

Forest Health - Invasive Plants: Chinese Tallow Tree

Noxious Weeds - Sapium sebiferum

Weed Alerts: Chinese Tallow

Invasive Species in Pasture Systems: Chinese Tallowtree

Management Options for Chinese Tallowtree

AQUAPLANT - Chinese Tallow

Arkansas Invasives - Chinese Tallow Tree

Chinese Tallow Story Map

EDIS Topic - Chinese Tallow

Plant Profile: Triadica sebifera

Chinese Tallow (Popcorn Tree): Exotic Ornamental Gone Wild [PDF, 247 KB]