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Aleurites

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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(Gr. i AEUpLr1]S, pertaining to icXevpov, ground meal, from aViv, to grind), a genus of trees belonging to the natural order Euphorbiaceae. Aleurites moluccana, or triloba, is widely cultivated throughout the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world for its fruit, which is about the size of a walnut, and contains several seeds which are rich in oil. The oil is extracted and used for food and light; it is known in India as kekuna, and the tree as the "candle-nut." In the Sandwich Islands the nuts are strung upon strips of wood and used as torches. The oil is exported to Europe for candle-making.

A. cordata flourishes in China, where it is known as the varnishtree, on account of the lac contained in its seeds.