''Macaranga tanarius'' is a species of flowering plant found in

South East Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

South China South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...

, Taiwan, and eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is commonly seen as a pioneer species in disturbed

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

areas. It is easily recognised for its round veiny leaves. In Australia, it naturally occurs from the

Richmond River, New South Wales The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensla ...

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the '' Endeavour'', for ...

in tropical Queensland. Some of the many common names include parasol leaf tree, blush macaranga, nasturtium tree, David's heart and heart leaf.

Description

It is a shrub or bushy tree, sometimes reaching 12 metres tall and with a stem diameter of 40 cm. The trunk is short and crooked, bark being grey-brown, with bumps and irregularities. The branchlets are smooth, bluish grey with prominent leaf scars. Leaves are alternate, and round with a tip, 8 to 23 cm long, greyish or white on the underside. It has prominent leaf stalks 8 to 20 cm long which connect within the leaf itself. Nine main veins radiate from the leaf stalk, easily noticed on the upper and lower leaf side. Yellow-green flowers form on

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s in the months of October to January (in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

). Female and male flowers grow on different trees. The fruit is a prickly three-celled yellow capsule, 9 mm in diameter, maturing in January to February (in New South Wales). There is one black seed in each of the cells. Germination from fresh seed occurs without difficulty. Cuttings strike well. D85 0339 by Trisorn Triboon

Uses

An attractive ornamental tree with interesting leaves. Also well regarded by bush regenerators to provide shade for juvenile trees. Its bark contains

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

s that are used as a colorant: it is used to dye nets, mats, as a kind of house paint, or as a leather preservative in tanning.Purwaningsih & S. Sukardjo. 1991. "''Macaranga tanarius'' (L.) Muell. Arg." In: R.H.M.J. Lemmens and N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto (Eds). ''Plant Resources of South-East Asia'' No. 3: Dye and tannin-producing plants: 88-9. Pudoc, Wageningen, The Netherlands. ( from Proseabase) In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, particularly in the

Ilocos Region The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an Region of the Philippines, administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Ca ...

and

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao (; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Apayao''; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao, Apayao, Kab ...

, the tree locally known as ''samak'' is widely used in producing traditional '' basi'' (a sugarcane-based

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

) and local

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

. Various parts of the tree, including its dried leaves, bark, fruits, and flowers, are used as fermenting, coloring, and flavoring agents during the fermentation process.

Gallery

Image:Macaranga tanarius foliage and flowers.jpg, ''Macaranga tanarius'' - foliage and flowers. File:血桐 Macaranga tanarius 20210430093427 04.jpg, Unidentified objects on some leaves. File:血桐 Macaranga tanarius 20210430093427 01.jpg, Fruits. File:血桐 20190422201437 01.jpg, Bract.The flower of ''Macaranga tanarius'' has no petals.

References

* PlantNET - The Plant Information Network System of Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia - July 19, 2009. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Macaranga~tanarius *
(other publication details, included in citation)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3020630 tanarius Malpighiales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of New Guinea Trees of Australia Ornamental trees Flora of Christmas Island Plants described in 1866