Species specifics: Chinese tallowtree

Fast facts about Chinese tallowtree

A fast-growing, invasive deciduous tree that can reach up to 60 feet tall and can rapidly dominate pasture and rangeland environments.
Key identifiers of the tree include “popcorn-like” white seeds in clusters of three and waxy, diamond- to heart-shaped leaves that turn vibrate colors in the fall.
Toxic to humans and livestock, including cattle and horses.

What to look for

Also known as the “popcorn tree” because of its white seeds that resemble popcorn, Chinese tallowtree (Triadica sebifera) is a highly invasive and adaptable deciduous tree that can reach maturity within three years.

Chinese tallowtree typically grows 20 to 35 feet tall and forms dense multi-stem stands, however, it can reach up to 65 feet with large trunk diameters. In spring and summer, the tree appears as a clean, almost ornamental plant with simple light gray to brown stems and smooth bark. Leaves are alternate, simple and distinctly diamond- to heart-shaped with a pointed tip between 1.5 to 3.5 inches long. The smooth, waxy green leaves are at the end of a long petiole that allows them to flutter in the wind. In the fall, leaves turn bright yellow, orange and red.

Unassuming flowers emerge in spring to early summer as small, yellow to white upright terminal spikes. By late summer into early fall, distinctive three-lobed fruits split open to reveal white, waxy seeds that resemble berries or popcorn from a distance. Mature trees can produce more than 100,000 seeds a year and normally remain on the tree into winter after leaves have fallen.

Chinese tallowtree primarily spreads by water or birds, however, the tree is also an aggressive spreader by roots and stumps, resprout even after mechanical management efforts. The trees will rapidly colonize new populations in bare soil or recently cleared areas in a variety of moisture levels including waterways, low-lying areas or in overgrazed pastures of all ranges of sunlight conditions.

The leaves, fruit and sap are highly toxic to many animals including cattle and horses. Generally, animals avoid eating it unless no other forage is available. Toxicity symptoms include lip and eye irritation, diarrhea, dehydration, weakness and, in large quantities of consumption, death. Additionally, the roots can irritate skin and is capable of producing tumors in humans as well. The leaves also contain high levels of tannins that can displace other types of forage and vegetations through leaf litter in the winter further aiding in infestations developing into monocultures when left unmanaged.

Where it is found

Chinese tallowtree thrives in a wide range of environments. The states that most often face infestations of the tree include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, with some states prohibiting sales in landscape applications and classifying the species as noxious including Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

How to treat it

Control of Chinese tallowtree can be tricky. Identifying new infestations early and treating with selective herbicide applications as part of an integrated brush management strategy can improve results.

In spring or fall, apply individual foliar (leaf spray) treatments of 96 fluid ounces per acre of GrazonNext® HL herbicide or 1 to 2 gallons per 100 gallons of spray of Surmount® herbicide

Broadcast applications should be made when there is less than 10% of leaf color change in the fall using any of the following:

32 fluid ounces per acre of GrazonNext HL with 32 fluid ounces per acre of Tordon® 22K herbicide
80 fluid ounces per acre of Surmount
80 fluid ounces per acre of GrazonPD3™ herbicide

Surmount®, Tordon® 22K and GrazonPD3™ are Restricted Use Pesticides. GrazonNext® HL has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with GrazonNext HL and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. GrazonNext HL is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonNext HL is not for sale, distribution, or use in New York State and San Luis Valley of Colorado. Surmount is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Tordon 22K is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonPD3 is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonPD3 is not for sale, distribution or use in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York State. Always read and follow label directions.