Tunge Oil Tree
Vernicia fordii
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Vernicia fordii
- Genus
- Vernicia
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Distribution
- India, Central and Western China, Greece, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The leaves are alternate, simple, 4.5–25 cm long and 3.5–22 cm broad, heart-shaped or with three shallow, maple-like lobes, green above and below, red conspicuous glands at the bas” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“The leaves are alternate, simple, 4.5–25 cm long and 3.5–22 cm broad, heart-shaped or with three shallow, maple-like lobes, green above and below, red conspicuous glands at the bas” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- CordaterecordedHeart-shaped, with a notch at the base.“The leaves are alternate, simple, 4.5–25 cm long and 3.5–22 cm broad, heart-shaped or with three shallow, maple-like lobes, green above and below, red conspicuous glands at the bas” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- LobedrecordedThe edge is divided into rounded or pointed sections that don't reach the midrib.“The leaves are alternate, simple, 4.5–25 cm long and 3.5–22 cm broad, heart-shaped or with three shallow, maple-like lobes, green above and below, red conspicuous glands at the bas” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Tunge Oil Tree itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- BerryrecordedA fleshy fruit with seeds embedded directly in the pulp, no central stone.“The fruit is a hard, woody pear-shaped berry 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm diameter, containing four or five large, oily seeds;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Tunge Oil Tree itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- ടങ് മരം, Vernicia fordii
About Tunge Oil Tree
Tunge Oil Tree (Vernicia fordii) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Nagaland, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Uses
In practice it is long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Tunge Oil Tree belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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