Vernicia Fordii

Mar, Apr, May

Poisonous, Tree, A much-branched monoecious deciduous tree up to 10 m.

Woody

Flowers are pale pink to white, with red veins. They have 5-7 petals in large clusters and bloom before the leaves emerge., Flowers precocious. Female flowers:calyx and petals as in the ♂ flowers; disc-glands smaller (2–3 mm. long) than in the ♂ flowers, sharply acute; ovary ovoid-subglobose, 4(–5)-locular, 4–5 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, sparingly pubescent; styles 4(–5), united at the base, ± glabrous, the stigmas shortly bifid. Male flowers:pedicels 2–3 cm. long, subglabrous; buds ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, ± 1 cm. long, apiculate, the calyx rupturing spathaceously almost to the base into 2 unequal lobes, sparingly pubescent without and subglabrous within; petals oblanceolate-obovate, 3–3.3 cm. long, 1–1.2 cm. wide, rounded at the apex, sparingly pubescent without in the lower half, glabrous within, white, suffused and veined with pink, and yellow at the base; disc-glands erect, triangular-lanceolate to subulate, somewhat fleshy, 3–4 mm. long, acute, whitish; stamens 8(–10), united in a column 1.5 cm. high, the outer 5 only half the length of the 3 inner, the filaments and column quite glabrous, anthers ovoid-ellipsoid, 1.75 mm. long.

3" fruits are large, globular, and contain 3-7 seeds., Fruits ± spherical or slightly compressed, 4–5 cm. long, 3.5–5 cm. wide, apiculate, abruptly narrowed into the base, ± smooth or faintly lineate, glabrous, green at first, dull brown when ripe.