Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Müll.Arg.

Habit

Tree

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs often with milky sap, indumentum of simple or stellate hairs, rarely peltate sceles, leaves alternate skometimes opposite or palmate at base usually stipulate. Monoeacious or dioecious; flowers small, solitary or in clusters, spikes, racemes, pannicles or cymes or in cup like cyathia, unisexual actinomorphic. calyx of 3-6 fee partly united segements, petals 3-6 lr often abscent. stamens 2-many, free or variously united into a column or bundles. Ovary superior 2-4 celled. styles 2-4, free or united, simple or bifid, ovules 1-2 per ceel, acile. Fruit usually a capsule aplitting into 2-3 segements, each 1-2 seeded, ocassionlly fleshy or leathery and indehiscent seeds often arillate

Genus Description

Evergreen or duciduous trees or shrubs, indumentum of stellate and sometimes simple hair, usually mixed with sessile gland - dots. Leaves alternate or subopposite, sometimes palmately lobed, palmately 3-9 veined and sometimes peltate at base, usually with discoid glands near base stipules minute. Dioecious, flowers sepals 3-4, petals absent , stamens 25-50, free. Female flowes calyx 3-5 lobed ovary 2-3 celled 3-celled, smooth or bristly 3-seeded.

Species description

Small evergreen tree 5-19m. leaves coriaceous, ovate 10-20x4-9cm, acuminate, base rounded or cuneate, shortly 3- veined ata base with 2 sessile discoid glands at base of lamina, margne entire minutely tomentose beneath, mixed with numerous minute red glands, petioles 2-8cm, stipules minute. Spiles slender erect 5-14cm, densely stellate pubescent , male flowers clusterd, green, subsessile , sepals 3-4, 1.5-2mm, stamens 20-30. Female flowers sesseile, not clustered, sepals lanceolate 2mm, ovary exserted,styles 3, 5mm, recurved,papillose, stellate and glandular. Capsules 3-lobed, 1cm, diameter, densely red glandular.