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Aleurites moluccanus
Also called Candlenut Tree, Indian Walnut, Candleberry, Lumbangtree, Varnishtree, Kukui Nut, Candle Nut
In Singapore: Candle Nut, Buah Keras, Candle Nut Tree, Indian Walnut, Keras, Kemiri, Kembiri, Lumbang Tree, Kukui (Hawaiian), 烛果树, 石栗 (Naturalised in Singapore)
A large, fast-growing tropical tree (up to about 30 m) grown for its oily nuts, which have long been used as a source of oil and light. It is rarely grown as a houseplant and is best suited to warm, humid, frost-free climates.
Aleurites moluccanus, commonly known as candlenut, Indian walnut or, in Hawaii, kukui, is a tree in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It grows to about 30 m (98 ft) tall and produces drupe fruit.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, the species' origin is unclear due to its spread by humans, but it can be found in many tropical rainforests and gallery forests. Various parts of the plant have regional or cultural uses.
Because the seeds contain saponin, phorbol, and toxalbumins, they are mildly toxic when raw, inducing a laxative effect. Heat treatment reduces the toxicity of the protein component.
Its native range is impossible to establish precisely because of early spread by humans, and the tree is now distributed throughout the New and Old World tropics including the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Papuasia, Queensland in Australia, and some islands of the western Pacific Ocean.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aleurites moluccanus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
