Butterfly fruit, Mountain chestnut
Cleidiocarpon cavalieri
Family: Euphorbiaceae
What it is like
A large evergreen tree. It grows 15-30 m tall. The trunk is 40-100 cm across. The twigs are covered with hairs. The leaves are narrowly oval and 11-16 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They taper to the tip and are wedge shaped at the base. The young leaves have hairs underneath. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same tree. The fruit are oblique and 3-4 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They have greyish hairs.
There are only 2 Cleidiocarpon species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in Northern Vietnam below 700 m altitude. In southern China it grows between 100-1,000 m above sea level. It grows on limestone. It requires sunlight. In XTBG Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China, Indochina, Myanmar, SE Asia, Vietnam
How it is used for food
The fruit is eaten. An edible oil can be extracted from the fruit. The seeds are boiled and eaten.
Edible parts
Fruit, seeds, seeds - oil
How it is grown
Trees grow quickly. In China plants flower and fruit may to November. The fruit is 30% edible oil.
Its other names
Local names
Den, Lard nut