Vernicia fordii
Vernicia fordii, commonly known as the candle nut tree, is a significant medicinal and industrial plant native to Southeast Asia. Renowned for its oil-rich seeds, it serves both nutritional and pharmacological purposes. Extracts are utilized in traditional remedies to treat skin ailments and inflammation, offering diverse therapeutic potential.
- Scientific name: Vernicia fordii
- Family: Euphorbiaceae
- Native range: Africa
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is categorized within the order Malpighiales and the family Euphorbiaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic classification is defined by the genus Vernicia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Malpighiales | WCVP |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Vernicia | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, Vernicia fordii, is known by several different common names depending on the language and region. In Mandarin Chinese, it is referred to as 油桐 in both Simplified (zh-hans) and Traditional (zh-hant) scripts, a name also used in Hong Kong (zh-hk). In the Nan language, it is called Iû-tâng, while in Abkhaz, it is known as Атунҵла.| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| nan | Iû-tâng | Wikidata |
| zh-hans | 油桐 | Wikidata |
| zh-hant | 油桐 | Wikidata |
| zh-hk | 油桐 | Wikidata |
| ab | Атунгҵла | Wikidata |
| pl | Tung Forda | Wikidata |
| ru | Тунг Форда | Wikidata |
| ca | tung | Wikidata |
| de | Holzölbaum | Wikidata |
| ml | ടങ് മരം | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning across both African and Asian continents. In South Tropical Africa, it can be found growing within the borders of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Moving to Asia, the species is widely distributed throughout various regions of China. Specifically, it inhabits the areas of China North-Central and China South-Central. Additionally, its range extends to the tropical island province of Hainan.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| South Tropical Africa | Mozambique | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Zimbabwe | WCVP |
| China | China South-Central | WCVP |
| China | Hainan | WCVP |
| China | China North-Central | WCVP |
| China | China Southeast | WCVP |
| Eastern Asia | Korea | WCVP |
| Eastern Asia | Taiwan | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | East Himalaya | WCVP |
| Indo-China | Myanmar | WCVP |