''Macaranga tanarius'' is a plant found in

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, South China, Taiwan, and eastern Australia. It is commonly seen as a pioneer species in disturbed

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

areas. Easily recognised for the round veiny leaves. In Australia it naturally occurs from the Richmond River, New South Wales to

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 repai ...

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 A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s in the months of October to January (in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

). 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 precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner ...

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 Tanning may refer to: * Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather * Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin ** Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun ** Sunless tanning, application of a stain or d ...

.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.
(Internet) Record
from Proseabase) The bark is also used as a colouring and flavouring agent for a local sugarcane

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Phi ...

brewed in

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Apayao; fil, Lalawigan ng Apayao), is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao serves as its capital. The provincial capito ...

province,

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, ...

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