Macaranga bancana (Miq.) Műll.Arg.

Small trees up to ca. 23 m tall and 20 cm dbh, reproductive from 2 m tall and 2 cm dbh. Twigs hollow, ant inhabited, glabrous, with small ant openings (ca. 1 mm diameter). Stipules broadly ovate, semi-persistent, recurved, (almost) completely surrounding the twig, 5-9 mm long by 5-13 mm wide. Petioles glabrous, up to 24 cm long. Leaves alternate, peltate, mainly 3-lobed, 14-35 cm long by 11-30 cm wide, length/width-ratio 0.92-1.43; secondary veins 12-22, ending in the margin; central lobes 5.5-27 cm long by 7-13 cm wide; lateral lobes 0.5-17 cm long; leaf base broadly rounded, peltate margin length 1.5-6 cm; leaf margin with glands; leaf upper surface glabrous (hairy on veins); leaf lower surface glabrous to hairy on veins, sparsely to numerously gland dotted. Staminate inflorescences branched; flowers clustered per bracteole; bracteoles with entire margin. Pistillate inflorescences branched; fruits 10-11 mm wide, 4(-5)-locular, with glandular patch on each carpel wall.

Ecology: Collected up to ca. 700 m altitude. An early successional tree found in disturbed places in primary forest (gaps) and in secondary forests. On sandy to loamy soils.

Distribution: Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. In Borneo it has trhoughout the island.

Note: Macaranga velutina (Reichb.f. & Zoll.) Műll.Arg. is probably a synonym of this species. It only differs from Macaranga bancana in being more hairy on twigs, petioles and lower leaf surfaces. In East Kalimantan I have observed all intermediates between these two species growing sympatrically, indicating that these two species should be united.