Macaranga inamoena

Family

Euphorbiaceae

Botanical Name

Macaranga inamoena Benth.

Bentham, G. (1873) Flora Australiensis 6: 145. Type: Queensland. Rockingham Bay, Dallachy.

Synonyms

Mallotus oblongifolius (Miq.) Mull.Arg. var. oblongifolius, Kew Bulletin Additional Series 8: 168(1980), Type: ?. Mallotus oblongifolius (Miq.) Mull.Arg., Linnaea 34: 192(1865), Type: ?.

Common name

MACARANGA; Buff Macaranga

Stem

Seldom exceeding 30 cm dbh. Flying buttresses or prop roots sometimes present on the lower stem.

Leaves

Leaf bearing twigs and petioles clothed in pale brown, erect hairs. Numerous small, pale yellow or red dots or glands visible with a lens or the naked eye on the underside of the leaf blade. Two flat glands normally visible on the upper surface of the leaf blade, close to its junction with the petiole. Leaf blades about 7.5-20 x 3-5.5 cm.

Flowers

Large floral bracts absent. Outer surface of the tepals densely clothed in hairs and reddish glands. Female flowers about 2-3 mm diam. Ovary hairy and muricate or warted.

Fruit

Capsules muricate, surface of the fruit covered with hairy bristles, red glands and hairs. Seeds globular about 3-4 mm diam.

Seedlings

Cotyledons elliptic or obovate, about 10-12 x 8 mm, hairy on the upper surface. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade elliptic, apex acuminate, base auriculate, upper surface with a few hairs along the midrib and main lateral veins, undersurface with many red glands, margins dentate, teeth more prominent in the upper half of the leaf blade; petiole hairy, terminal bud clothed in rusty brown stellate hairs.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 1100 m. Grows as an understory tree in well developed rain forest frequently on soil derived from basalt.