Aleurites moluccanus
species of tree in the family Euphorbiaceae
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.
Description
The candlenut tree grows to a height of up to 30 m (98 ft), with wide spreading or pendulous branches. The leaves are pale green, simple, and ovate or heart-shaped on mature shoots, but may be three-, five-, or seven-lobed on saplings. They are up to 20 cm (8 in) long and 13 cm (5 in) wide and young leaves are densely clothed in rusty or cream stellate hairs. Petioles measure up to 12.5 cm (5 in) long and stipules about 5 mm (1⁄4 in).
The flowers are small; male flowers measure around 5 mm in diameter, female flowers about 9 mm.
The fruit is a drupe about 4–6 cm (1+1⁄2–2+1⁄4 in) in diameter with one or two lobes; each lobe has a single soft, white, oily kernel contained within a hard shell about 2 cm (3⁄4 in) in diameter.
“Aleurites moluccanus” enters the record as species of tree in the family Euphorbiaceae. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Aleurites, moluccanus and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Aleurites moluccanus” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Aleurites, moluccanus and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1160961. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1753.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Aleurites moluccanus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Aleurites moluccanus primary sources, Aleurites moluccanus archive and Aleurites research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Aleurites moluccanus”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Aleurites moluccanus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.