Macaranga bancana (Miq.)
Mull.Arg., in DC., Prodr. 15, 2 (1866)
Latin for 'from Bangka' an island of the coast of Sumatra.
Synonyms
Pachystemon bancanus Miq.
Description
Understorey tree up to 16 m tall and 17 cm dbh. Twigs hollow, ant inhabited.
Stipules red, recurved, providing food for ants. Leaves alternate, simple to
3-lobed, peltate and palmately veined, glabrous to hairy below, whitish below.
Flowers ca. 1 mm diameter, green-whitish, clustered together within bracts on
branched inflorescences. Fruits ca. 9 mm diameter, green-white-yellowish,
4-5-lobed, dehiscent capsules with glandular patches, seeds with reddish aril.
Ecology
In disturbed sites in mixed dipterocarp and swamp forests up to 700 m
altitude. Often on alluvial sites such as riversides, but also common along
roadsides on sandy soils.
Distribution
Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei,
Sabah, East-Kalimantan), Philippines.
Local names in Borneo
Benuah, Layang-layang, Purang, Sedaman, Sedaman laki.
