Tallow-Tree

any one of several trees which yield the substance known as vegetable tallow. The common tallow-tree is a native of China. It has been introduced into India and the West Indies and into the southern part of the United States. The seed pods are an inch and a half thick. They contain three seeds each which are coated with a fatty substance from which tallow may be extracted. The Chinese use this tallow for candles. They press an oil from the seeds which makes a serviceable varnish. A black die is extracted from the leaf of the tree. The wood itself is hard and dark-grained and serves many useful purposes.