Mallotus spinifructus Welzen & SEC Sierra, Blumea 51: 382 (2006)(

Synonyms

Diagnostics
Small trees. Stipules present but dropped early. Leaves opposite, with one of each pair smaller. Petiole swollen basally and apically. Leaf blade with two nectary glands at the base, margin entire.

Description
Trees, up to 10 m high, dbh up to 12 cm; flowering branchlets 3-4 mm thick, flattened and somewhat ridged when dry, apical parts stellately hairy, glabrescent; bracts of the terminal buds triangular, c. 1.5 by 0.7 mm. Outer bark grey to greyish pale brown, firm, smooth; inner bark dull brown, coarsely fibrous. Indumentum of simple and stiff, stellately bundled hairs, glandular scales yellowish. Stipules triangular, basally usually quickly decreasing in width, 7-10 by 1-1.7 mm, rather late caducous, outside hairy. Leaves opposite, similar in shape, one somewhat smaller; petiole 1-6 cm long, round, hairy, basally and apically pulvinate, especially upper pulvinus well-developed, oblique with blade base partly overlaying; blade ovate to elliptic, 14.5-24.3 by 5-9.5 cm, length/width ratio 2.6-2.9, symmetric, membranous, base cuneate, very base narrowly cordate, margin entire, apex caudate, upper surface basally with one pair of somewhat elliptic extrafloral nectaries, up to 1.1 by 0.9 mm, in upper third usually several small extrafloral nectaries (mainly 0.3 by 0.3 mm) on the nerves, at most slightly hairy on the midrib; lower surface hairy on venation, glandular scales distinct, hair tuft domatia present; venation triplinerved, flat and somewhat indistinct above, raised and distinct beneath, yellowish, 8 or 9 nerves per side, veins and veinlets scalariform. Inflorescences racemes, axillary to (pseudo)terminal, single, densely hairy; staminate ones only seen in bud, up to 6 cm long, c. 0.8 mm wide, with groups of up to c. 10 buds, pistillate inflorescences up to 7.5 cm long, a single flower per node; bract triangular, 5.5-6 by 1.3-1.8 mm, densely hairy outside, almost floccose, recurved. Staminate flowers only seen in bud, buds globose, pedicelled; pedicel densely hairy; calyx apparently splitting into three sepals, densely hairy outside; stamens perhaps c. 30, anthers separated by connective. Pistillate flowers c. 7.5 mm diam., subsessile when young, in fruit pedicel up to 8? mm long, hairy; sepals 5, triangular to ovate, 4.5-5 by 1.3-2 mm, hairy outside, reflexed; ovary 3- (or 4-)locular, densely long spiny, spines not in groups but pointing all directions, with loose long patent white hairs, glandular scales present; style c. 1.5 mm long, stigmas c. 7 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, with long, branching papillae above, (sub)glabrous beneath. Fruits lobed capsules, 1.8-1.9 by 1-1.1 cm, green when immature, spines up to 4.5 mm long, very slender; wall woody, basally c. 0.7 mm thick, apically c. 1.7 mm thick; column broadly T-shaped to obtriangular, c. 5.5 mm long. Seeds subglobose 6-8 by 5-7 mm, shiny. [from http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/Euphorbs/specM/MallotusT.htm]

Ecology
(Logged) riverine forest, alluvial soil, well-drained. Altitude 200-300 m.

Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

Local names
Borneo: Kreh merah.