Tree Labels with QR Codes
Candlenut Tree, Common Aleurites
Scientific Name : Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd.
Common Name : Candlenut Tree, Common Aleurites
Chinese Name : 石栗
Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
Anecdotes on plants
| Origins | Originated from the provinces of South China, and tropical and subtropical Asia. |
|---|---|
| Meanings of names | Its Chinese name “Stone-chestnut (石栗)” describes its chestnut-like seeds, while its testa is hard like stone. Since the seeds of Candlenut Tree contain large amount of flammable oil which can be ignited and used as candles, the English name “Candlenut Tree” is given. |
| Applications | The renowned sauces of “Kemiri” in Indonesia and “Inamona” in Haiwaii are made of seeds of the Candlenut Tree. However, they cannot be eaten in large quantities since over-consumption can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Meanwhile, mature seeds can be applied in Traditional Chinese Medicines as laxatives. Furthermore, the Candlenut Tree is also a raw material used in the production of industrial oil, biodiesel and rubber. Candlenut trees sturdily grow with dense crown and straight trunk. Its greyish white young leaves colour the urban environment. As a result, Candlenut Tree is one of the common street trees species. |
Traits for identification
| Growing habit | Evergreen tree. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 18 m. |
| Roots | Sometimes shows buttress root. |
| Stems | Bark of trunk dark grey. |
| Leaves | Palmately lobed, shallowly 3 to 5 lobed or entire, shaped like a shield. Adaxially dark green, abaxially pale green, with brownish indumentum, papery in texture. Apex of petiole with a pair of discoid glands, like a pair of eyes. |
| Flowers | Milky white to milky yellow. Unisexual flowers, monoecious. |
| Fruits | Drupe subglobose, greyish brown, with 1 to 2 seed(s). |
| Seeds | Ovoid, laterally pressed. Testa hard and tuberculate-ribbed. |
| Flowering period | April to October in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | October to December in Hong Kong. |
Remarks
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=8135
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Aleurites moluccana (Linnaeus) Willdenow
― Plants of the World Online : Aleurites moluccanus (L.) Willd.
Reference
- Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
- Cabral, M. R. P. et al. (2016). Chemical composition and thermal properties of methyl and ethyl esters prepared from Aleurites moluccanus (L.) Willd (Euphorbiaceae) nut oil. Industrial Crops & Products, 85, 109-116. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.easyaccess2.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/science/article/pii/S092666901630125X?via%3Dihub
- eFloras. (2008). Aleurites moluccana (Linnaeus) Willdenow. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012536
- Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd. 石栗. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/8135/8135_S_E.pdf
- Mak, W. L., Lam, Y. H., Ching, C. K., Chan, S. S., Chong, Y. K. & Ng, W. Y. (2018). Aleurites moluccana 石栗. Atlas of poisonous plants in Hong Kong: A CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY PERSPECTIVE. [Online Edition]. Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory, Hong Kong. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: http://www3.ha.org.hk/toxicplant/hk/aleurites_moluccana.html
- School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University & Hong Kong Baptist University Library. (2007). Aleurites moluccanus (L.) Willd. Medicinal Plant Images Database. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: https://libproject.hkbu.edu.hk/was40/detail?lang=en&channelid=1288&searchword=herb_id=D00903
- Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium. (2020). Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd. 石栗. Pro-Factsheet. Taxonomical Archive System. Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Native Plant Resources and Database in Hong Kong. Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: https://syhuherbarium.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/collections/factsheet-pro/aleurites-moluccana/
- Small, E. (2012). Top 100 Exotic Food Plants. [Electronic Resource]. CRC Press, Boca Raton, U.S.A. ISBN: 978-1-4398-5688-8 (eBook-PDF). Retrieved 25th March 2020, from: https://books.google.com.hk/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=Kemiri+cuisine&source=bl&ots=4y0VoPPWCa&sig=ACfU3U104mUdQ4cw5Uy_yWwILATPj4W4VA&hl=zh-TW&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj66Z2nr7XoAhUUat4KHVHOCqYQ6AEwDnoECB0QAQ#v=onepage&q=Kemiri%20cuisine&f=false
- 中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2010）。《深圳植物誌》（第2卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-5884-0。
- 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈石栗Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd.〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年3月25日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Aleurites%20moluccana?t=z
- 中國科學院華南植物園。（2003）。《廣東植物誌》（第5卷）。廣州 : 廣東科技出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5359-3322-X。
- 深圳市人民政府城市管理辦公室、深圳市仙湖植物園、深圳市城市管理科學研究所。（1998）。《深圳園林植物》。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-2149-3。