Shoyoen in the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden is glowing with autumn colour.
A deciduous tree that will make a spectacular contribution to the autumnal display in the next couple of weeks is Triadica sebifera, formerly known as Sapium sebiferum, and commonly known as the Chinese Tallow Tree. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is native to eastern Asia.
Triadica sebifera is legendary for the vibrant yellow, orange, red and purple of its heart-shaped leaves during autumn.
It is a fast growing small to medium sized tree with a domed canopy. It is disease and pest resistant, and once established, it is also drought tolerant. The plant sap and leaves are toxic.
Sebifera and sebiferum mean "wax-bearing" and refer to the vegetable tallow that coats the seeds. In China and Japan the tree was once cultivated for its seeds. The seeds were thrown into boiling water to remove the wax, which was skimmed off and used to make candles. They were then pressed to extract oil for use in lamps, as a purgative, and for making oil-paper and soap.
It is said to be the third most productive vegetable oil producing crop in the world, after algae and palm oil. This makes it an attractive plant for biodiesel production. Just one mature tree can produce 100,000 seeds every year and a mature stand can produce 4,500 kg of seeds per hectare per year.
However, Triadica sebifera’s robust characteristics and prolific production of viable seeds contribute to its highly invasive nature. The trees at Shoyoen are managed to reduce the likelihood of Triadica sebifera spreading and growing where it is unwanted.
Autumn is regarded as a prime time to visit Japanese gardens and visitation is expected to rise at Shoyoen as people come to enjoy the colour, peacefulness and harmony of this special garden.
By Ian McAlister & Karen Hagan