Chinese Tallow – invasive species

Chinese Tallow (Triadeca sebifera) is an invasive woody species from China. It is estimated that almost 25 percent of all woody vegetation in the Houston area are Chinese Tallow trees. The Chinese tallow is a problematic tree, especially in wetter areas, and is classified by the Texas Department of Agriculture as a noxious and invasive species. They thrive in saturated low lying soils and are recognized by their heart-shaped leaves.

Introduced in the 1900s as an ornamental tree and a possible cash crop, the Chinese Tallow prolifically spread throughout the Texas Gulf Coast. WHF has worked with numerous landowners, on hundreds of acres, to control Chinese tallow by mechanical and/or chemical methods in order to limit competition with more desirable native species.

“Hack and Squirt” is an effective method of treating Chinese Tallow. A notch is cut into the tree base using a chainsaw, machete, or hatchet. After the notch is cut, an approved herbicide is sprayed into the open notch.