"Chinese tallow tree is cultivated for its seeds as a source of vegetable tallow, a drying oil and protein food, and as an ornamental. Fruits yield two types of fats: outer covering of seeds contain a solid fat with low iodine value, known as Chinese Vegetable Tallow; kernels produce a drying oil with high iodine value, called Stillingia Oil. Tallow is used for manufacturing candles, a layer of wax being placed over the tallow body to prevent too rapid burning; has excellent burning quality, and gives an inodorous clear bright flame; also used for making soap, cloth dressing and fuel." http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Sapium_sebiferum.html Sapium sebiferum
http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2002/2002L-02-22-09.html Environment News Service: AmeriScan: February 22, 2002 Chinese Tallow Trees Take Over Texas Grasslands HOUSTON, Texas, February 22, 2002 (ENS) - The Chinese tallow tree has invaded Texas grasslands, turning once complex ecosystems into single species forests. Rice University ecologist Evan Siemann hopes to find out how this tree has been able to "break all the rules." "The incredible diversity of native plants in the coastal prairies is gone within 30 years after the Chinese tallow tree invades the area," said Siemann, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. "By studying how this tree has been able to thrive, we should be able to learn more about the rules that govern a biological community and the interactions among species within that community." A researcher in a dense grove of Chinese tallow trees in Texas (Photo courtesy Evan Siemann, Rice University) Known for its heart shaped leaves and white fruits, the Chinese tallow tree originated in Asia. The U.S. government brought it to the Gulf Coast area around 1900 in hope of using the wax covered seeds as an agricultural crop. That project was unsuccessful, and the trees escaped from cultivation. Once Chinese tallow trees replace bluestem grasses, sunflowers, blazing stars and other plants found in the prairies, those species and their associated animal fauna will not come back, Siemann said. One of the reasons this tree has been able to grow so well is that insects have left it alone and munched on other foliage. Siemann said this is peculiar because unlike the slow growing tallow tree found in China, the American variety lets its defenses down. The Chinese variety has chemicals in its leaves which makes them hard to digest. The American variety does not produce this substance. Instead, it appears to use that energy to grow faster, which promotes the development of forests. Siemann is testing various methods of controlling the tallow trees using land in Galveston County owned by the University of Houston Coastal Center. "If you knock down the tallow trees, they just sprout from roots like crazy," Siemann said. "But fire can kill small tallow trees when they're vulnerable." During a six year experiment, Siemann is studying how often a prairie needs to be burned to keep the tallow trees out. He is also flooding sections of prairies and pumping water out of others to determine whether wet or dry conditions can make the prairies more vulnerable to invasion. Another study involves examining the effect fertilizing with nitrogen has on the trees' growth. "Prairie grass is very efficient at using nitrogen, and the tallow tree uses nitrogen very inefficiently," Siemann noted. Because the Chinese tallow trees are starting to sprout in the forests of East Texas, Siemann believes the lessons learned from his research will be applicable to many areas. "This tree is gobbling up real estate everywhere," Siemann said. "Once the canopy trees come down, they'll be replaced by Chinese tallow trees." Several experiments in the Big Thicket National Preserve investigate whether the same factors are responsible for the Chinese tallow tree's success in the forests as in grasslands. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
