Macaranga praestans Airy Shaw

Small trees up to ca. 10 m tall and 10 cm dbh, reproductive from 3 m tall and 3 cm dbh. Twigs solid, glabrous. Stipules needle-like, crowded at twig apex, semi-persistent, not surrounding twigs completely, 7-11 mm long by 0.5-1 mm wide. Petioles glabrous to hairy (long simple hairs), up to ca. 12 cm long. Leaves alternate, ovate, 19-35 cm long by 6-11 cm wide, length/width-ratio 2.64-4.12; secondary veins 14-18, not ending in the margin (looping); leaf base slightly cordate to auriculate; leaf margin without glands; leaf upper surface glabrous to hairy, with 2 basal nectary glands directly next to petiole insertion; leaf lower surface glabrous to hairy, sparsely gland dotted. Staminate inflorescences not branched; flowers clustered per bracteole; bracteoles with entire margin. Pistillate inflorescences not branched, with one terminal fruit only enclosed by two enlarged, leaf-like bracteoles; fruits 18-20 mm wide, 2-locular, without spines.

Ecology: Collected up to ca. 500 m altitude. A typical shade-tolerant forest understorey species. Most common in undisturbed forest, but also present in closed understorey of secondary forests.

Distribution: Endemic for Borneo, where it has been collected in Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah.