Macaranga lowii var.
kostermansii Airy Shaw, Kew Bull. 23 (1969)
Named after A.J.G.H. Kostermans [1907-?], a Dutch botanist.
Description
Understorey tree up to 17 m tall and 21 cm dbh. Stipules crowded at twig
tip, needle-like, ca. 4 mm long. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined,
glabrous, with two nectary glands at upper leaf base. Flowers ca. 1.5 mm
diameter, yellow, placed in axillary racemes. Fruits ca. 10 mm diameter, green,
2-lobed, spiny, dehiscent capsules.
Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests up to 400 m altitude. Usually on
hillsides and ridges with clay to sandy soils. In secondary forests usually
present as a pre-disturbance remnant tree.
Uses
Good firewood.
Distribution
Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah, West-, Central- and East-Kalimantan).
Note
Airy Shaw described this species as a variety of Macaranga lowii, but
I think that this is a true species on its own. Hence I treat it separately from
Macaranga lowii var. lowii.
