Mallotus peltatus (Geiseler) Mull.Arg., Linnaea 34 (1865)

Latin for 'peltate', referring to the leaf

Synonyms
Adisca acuminata Blume
Aleurites peltatus Geiseler
Hancea muricata Benth.
Mallotus acuminatus (Blume) Mull.Arg.
Mallotus alternifolius Merr.
Mallotus camiguinensis Merr.
Mallotus columnaris Warb.
Mallotus furetianus Mull.Arg.
Mallotus helferi Mull.Arg.
Mallotus lambertianus Mull.Arg.
Mallotus longifolius (Reichb.f. & Zoll.) Mull.Arg.
Mallotus longifolius var. genuinus Mull.Arg. Mallotus longifolius var. pubescens Mull.Arg.
Mallotus maclurei Merr.
Mallotus oblongifolius (Miq.) Mull.Arg.
Mallotus oblongifolius var. genuinus Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mallotus oblongifolius var. helferi (Mull.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mallotus oblongifolius var. rubriflorus Chakrab.
Mallotus oblongifolius var. siamensis Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mallotus oblongifolius var. villosulus Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mallotus odoratus Elmer
Mallotus peekelii Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mallotus peltatus var.rubriflorus Chakrab.
Mallotus porterianus Mull.Arg.
Mallotus puberulus Hook.f.
Mallotus stylaris Mull.Arg.
Mallotus tenuispicus Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mappa acutifolia (Hassk.) Zoll. & Moritzi
Rottlera acuminata (Blume) Baill.
Rottlera acutifolia Hassk.
Rottlera flavigutta Miq.
Rottlera lambertiana (Mull.Arg.) Scheff.
Rottlera longifolia Reichb.f. & Zoll.
Rottlera oblongifolia Miq.
Rottlera stylaris (Mull.Arg.) Scheff.

Diagnostics
Shrub up to 8(-21) m tall and 12(-30) cm dbh. Stipules ca. 4 mm long, dropped early. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined, glabrous, often with domatia in secondary vein axils, several nectary glands at base of upper leaf surface. Flowers ca. 4 mm diameter, white-yellowish, placed in racemes. Fruits ca. 14 mm diameter, green-red, 3-lobed, spiny, dehiscent capsules.

Description
Shrubs to small trees up to 15(-21) m tall, dbh up to 30 cm; bole fluted, twisted to slanting; crown branching freely, wide spreading to rounded pyramidal. Outer bark smooth to fissured, lenticellate, mottled. Indumentum sparse to dense, whitish to cream. Branches lenticellate, glabrescent, gland-dotted on young parts. Stipules early caducous, triangular to ovate, 1.8-5 by 0.7-1.5 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex acute, hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted or not. Leaves alternate to apically subopposite, not peltate to peltate (sometimes both in one individual), distance between leaf blade base and petiole insertion 2-17 mm; petiole 4-110 by 0.5-1.5 mm, constricted to thickened basally and apically, hairy, especially basally and apically, glabrescent, gland-dotted or not, especially basally and apically; blade ovate to obovate, 3.5-21(-29) by 1-10(-13) cm, length-width ratio (1.3-)2-4, base attenuate to cordate, margin (slightly) dentate to irregularly wavy (to slightly crenate), marginal glands 10-28 per leaf side, apex acuminate to cuspidate to aristate, upper surface smooth (to pustulose), glabrous to hairy, especially on veins, sparsely gland-dotted or not, especially along veins, basal macular glands 2-7(-13) on veins, 1.5-14(-21) mm from petiole or midrib, apical macular glands 0-8 on veins, 1-9 mm from margin, lower surface smooth, hairy, especially on veins, glabrescent, gland-dotted or not, domatia present usually with hair tufts; venation pinnate to triplinerved to palmate, when peltate 8-10 veins originating from petiole insertion, 5-13 secondary veins per side along midrib, ending parallel to the margin. Staminate inflorescences up to 24 cm long, basally 0.5-1.5 mm thick, rarely grouped, hairy, gland-dotted, nodes up to 38(-70) per inflorescence, flowers 1-12 per node; bracts early caducous, deltoid to ovate, 0.9-2.3 by 0.4-1.2 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex rounded to acute, hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted outside only, especially basally; buds globose to ovate with acute to acuminate apex, glabrous to hairy, gland-dotted or not. Staminate flowers 3-6 mm in diameter, whitish green to cream to reddish, fragrant; pedicels 0.6-3 mm long, glabrous to hairy, gland-dotted or not; sepals 3-5, free to basally connate, (triangular to) elliptic (to obovate), often recurved, 1.5-2.5 by 0.5-1.3 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous to hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted or not; stamens up to 50; filaments 1-3.5 mm long, glabrous, sometimes gland-dotted; anthers 0.2-0.3 by 0.3-0.5 mm; connective widened, sometimes with protruding apex. Pistillate inflorescences up to 28 cm long, basally 1-2.8 mm thick, hairy, glabrescent, gland-dotted, nodes up to 29 per inflorescence; bracts caducous (to persistent), ovate, cup-shaped, half surrounding the pedicel, 1-2.8 by 0.7-1.5 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex acute, hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted or not. Pistillate flowers green to (light) yellow to yellow-red, fragrant; bracteoles absent to caducous, triangular to ovate, 0.8-1.3 by 0.3-0.6 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex acute, hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted outside only; pedicels 1-7 mm long, glabrous to hairy, gland-dotted or not; calyx caducous, lobes (1-)2-3(-4), free to more or less connate, triangular to ovate, 0.5-4.5 by 0.2-2.3 mm, margin entire to irregular, apex acute to acuminate, hairy abaxially only, gland-dotted or not; ovary (2-)3(-4)-locular, echinate, glabrous to hairy, densely gland-dotted, spines up to 5 mm long, hairy, usually ending in a few long hairs, rarely gland-dotted basally; style 2-7 mm long, glabrous to hairy, gland-dotted or not; stigmas 3-7 mm long, densely covered with granulate papillae on the inside, glabrous to hairy abaxially, gland-dotted outside. Fruit an echinate, lobed capsule, 7-15 by 5.5-8 mm, purple tinged to dark red, glabrous to hairy, densely gland-dotted; carpel inside hairy, gland-dotted or not; column 4-6 by 4-6.5 mm. Seeds glossy, roughly globose, 4-6 by 3-5 by 3-5.5 mm; hilum deltoid, 1-2.5 by 1-2.5 mm. [from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
Locally common in primary to secondary forests, preferring open places like river banks, forest edges, road sides, cleared areas, but sometimes also found in the forest understorey; both in wet (riverine, swampy) areas and on well drained soils; soils include thick humus, limestone, sandstone, sandy clay, sandy loam soil, volcanic rock, gravel, red shale. Altitude: up to 1000(¨C1800) m.

Distribution
From India and South China to New Guinea.