Do not plant. Listed invasive in South Carolina.
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Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC
Genus host records with ranges including SC · Triadica
- Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
- Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
- Caloptilia triadicae
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Triadica
- Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 8a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 8a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “30–40 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “30–40 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Chinese Tallow Tree; Chinese Tallow tree; Chinese Tallowtree; Popcorn Tree; Popcorntree; Sapium sebiferum
Conservation status
| South Carolina rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| SC status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- usda
- sc_invasive
- South Carolina occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications