Brush - Range & Pasture - Chinese Tallowtree

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Chinese Tallowtree

Chinese Tallow, Popcorn Tree

Triadica sebifera (syn. Sapium sebiferum)

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Fast-growing tree; spurge family (Euphorbiaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; introduced from Asia

Leaf Habit

Deciduous; bright fall color

Typical Height

Up to 30 ft (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Chinese tallowtree with a broad, leafy crown along a path — **Whole Tree** Photo: KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chinese tallowtree broad, diamond-shaped leaves with pointed tips — **Diamond-Shaped Leaves** Photo: Sun Jiao (Interaccoonale), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chinese tallowtree capsules split open to show white, waxy seeds — **White Seeds** Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Leaves

Diamond-shaped, smooth-edged, hairless, alternate
Turn yellow, orange, or red in fall (Texas A&M)

Sap & Limbs

Milky sap; slender drooping limbs that break easily (Texas A&M)

Flowers

No petals; 2 to 6 inch drooping spikes at branch tips (Texas A&M)

Seeds

Three chalky white seeds that hang on through winter (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Other trees

How to tell them apart from tallow: [PLACEHOLDER]

Counter script: "If it is a fast-growing tree with milky sap, diamond-shaped leaves, and clusters of white popcorn-like seeds, it is most likely Chinese tallowtree."

Where It Grows

Texas

Southeast Texas, where it can be a major woody invader (Texas A&M)
Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes

Oklahoma

[PLACEHOLDER]

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Escaped from ornamental plantings; birds spread the seed. Spreads by root sprouts (Texas A&M). Soil detail: [PLACEHOLDER]

Best Time to Control

Brush Busters stem spray: any time of year. Surmount label leaf spray: July through September, best on trees under 8 ft.

Chinese tallowtree is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls chinese tallowtree.

Treatment Methods

Basal Bark (Stem) Spray

Example product: Remedy Ultra (Corteva)
Mix (Brush Busters): 15% (19 oz + 109 oz diesel or basal oil per gallon) for smooth bark; 25% (32 oz + 96 oz) for rough bark

Foliar (Leaf) Spray

Example product: Surmount (Corteva)
Mix (Surmount label): 0.5 to 1% with surfactant
PastureGard HL also lists Chinese tallowtree; follow the label

Cut Stump

Cut every stem flat, close to (not below) the soil surface
Brush off soil and sawdust, then spray the cut surface and the sides of the stump right away
Example product: Remedy Ultra (Corteva); Brush Busters lists Chinese tallowtree for this method
Mix (Brush Busters): Remedy Ultra 15% (19 oz per gallon) in diesel or vegetable oil

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Density guidance for this plant: [PLACEHOLDER]
Follow the label for broadcast use

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Brush Busters: How to Take Out Tallow Trees and How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife) for Remedy Ultra mixes; Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; PastureGard HL label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-637; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands.