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Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Müll.Arg.

Kamala tree (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Mallotus

Characteristics

Shrubs or small trees, 2-15 m tall. Branchlets, petiole, and inflorescences yellow-brownish stellate-tomentose. Stipules small, ca. 1 mm; petiole 2-9 cm; leaf blade ovate to lanceolate, 5-20 × 3-6 cm, leathery, adaxially glabrescent, abaxially gray-yellow tomentulose and sparsely red glandular-scaly, base cuneate or obtuse, with 2-4 basal glands, margin subentire, apex acuminate; basal veins 3. Male inflorescences unbranched, 5-10 cm; bracts triangular, ca. 1 mm. Male flowers 1-5-fascicled; pedicel 1-2 mm; calyx lobes 3 or 4, oblong, ca. 2 mm, tomentulose; stamens 15-30. Female inflorescences 3-8 cm, 10-15 cm in fruit; bracts triangular, ca. 1 mm. Female flowers: pedicel ca. 2 mm; calyx lobes 3-5, subovate, ca. 3 mm, tomentose; ovary tomentose and red glandular-scaly; styles 3, 3-4 mm, plumose. Capsule subglobose, 8-10 mm in diam., (2 or)3-locular, covered with a red glandular-scaly layer. Seeds subglobose, ca. 4 mm in diam., black. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jun-Aug.
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Shrub or small tree to 10 m high; evergreen. Stems ± rounded towards apices, with dense, ginger stellate hairs and red sessile glands, glabrescent. Leaves alternate, not peltate; lamina elliptic, lanceolate-ovate or obovate, 15–200 mm long, 8–100 mm wide; base cuneate, rounded or truncate; margins generally entire or weakly sinuate; tip acute, short acuminate or obtuse; venation ± palmiveined, comprising 2 lateral veins from the lamina base, 5–7 lateral veins further up the midrib and reticulate interlateral veins; upper surface without granular inclusions; lower surface grey-silver to reddish silver, interlateral venation well developed, with dense clear simple hairs overtopping dense clear ± peltate scales and dense red sessile glands, indumentum persistent. Stamens 20–28. Fruit depressed-globose, 4–7.5 mm long, 7–12 mm diam., always with dense red sessile glands and occasionally with yellow stellate hairs, echinate processes absent.
A small evergreen tree. It grows 8-12 m high. It has a bushy growth pattern spreading to 4 m wide. The small branches are slender. The young growth has rusty hairs. The leaves are 5-20 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. They are oblong and dark green. The edges of the leaves are irregular and wavy. The leaf tapers to the tip and is wedge shaped at the base. The veins are easy to see. There are a pair of side veins near the base then 5-6 other pairs. There are very small glands underneath the leaf. The leaf stalk is 7 cm long. The flowers occur along stalks 2-10 cm long. These are produced in the axils of the upper leaves. The flowers are small and brown and male and female flowers are separate on the same same plant, or on separate trees. The fruit are capsules 0.6-0.8 cm across. They are covered with red powder. The fruit have 3 lobes.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 8.0 - 12.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in rainforests. It will grow on a range of soils. It can tolerate moderate frosts. It grows to 1500 m on the edge of the Himalayas. In Borneo it grows up to 1,600 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Adelaide Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan. In Sichuan.
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Grows mainly in microphyll to notophyll vineforests and vinethickets, but may be often found in gullies or ridges in open forest especially in rocky sites with some fire protection.
Common in evergreen forest, especially in secondary forest, and sometimes even dominant in the undergrowth. It also occurs in scrubby vegetations and on open rocky ground.
Light -
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 3-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The unripe fruit are cooked as a vegetable. The fruit are powdered and mixed in curries. The seeds are cooked and eaten.
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The red coating of the fruits has been used as a cloth dye in Malesia.
Uses animal food construction dye environmental use fodder food food additive fuel gum material medicinal oil poison social use wood
Edible fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Analgesics (bark), Anorexia (bark), Anthelmintics (bark), Anti-infective agents, local (bark), Antioxidants (bark), Cathartics (bark), Dermatitis (bark), Diarrhea (bark), Digestive system diseases (bark), Dysmenorrhea (bark), Disorder of ejaculation (bark), Erectile dysfunction (bark), Fractures, bone (bark), Furunculosis (bark), Hemostasis (bark), Jaundice (bark), Muscle cramp (bark), Neoplasms (bark), Parasympatholytics (bark), Pregnancy complications (bark), Pruritus (bark), Puerperal disorders (bark), General tonic for rejuvenation (bark), Simplexvirus (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Hydrocele (bark), Wound healing (bark), Wounds and injuries (bark), Disorder of bone (bark), Anthelmintics (flower), Antirheumatic agents (flower), Abdominal pain (fruit), Abortifacient agents (fruit), Anemia (fruit), Anthelmintics (fruit), Anti-bacterial agents (fruit), Antifungal agents (fruit), Anti-infective agents, local (fruit), Antineoplastic agents (fruit), Antiparasitic agents (fruit), Antipruritics (fruit), Antipyretics (fruit), Antirheumatic agents (fruit), Antitubercular agents (fruit), Antitussive agents (fruit), Aphrodisiacs (fruit), Blister (fruit), Burns (fruit), Cardiotonic agents (fruit), Cathartics (fruit), Constipation (fruit), Contraceptive agents (fruit), Contraceptives, oral (fruit), Cough (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (fruit), Diarrhea (fruit), Digestive system diseases (fruit), Dyspnea (fruit), Disorder of ejaculation (fruit), Erectile dysfunction (fruit), Exanthema (fruit), Furunculosis (fruit), Galactogogues (fruit), Hemorrhage (fruit), Hemorrhoids (fruit), Hemostasis (fruit), Hemostatics (fruit), Herpes simplex (fruit), Hypersensitivity (fruit), Hypoglycemic agents (fruit), Insect repellents (fruit), Intestinal diseases (fruit), Jaundice (fruit), Laxatives (fruit), Leprosy (fruit), Lithiasis (fruit), Menorrhagia (fruit), Menstruation disturbances (fruit), Neck pain (fruit), Otitis media (fruit), Parasympatholytics (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Scabies (fruit), Skin diseases (fruit), Snake bites (fruit), Splenic diseases (fruit), Splenomegaly (fruit), Stomach diseases (fruit), Urinary bladder calculi (fruit), Urinary calculi (fruit), Urination disorders (fruit), Wound healing (fruit), Wounds and injuries (fruit), Anorexia (leaf), Anthelmintics (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Antitubercular agents (leaf), Antitussive agents (leaf), Appetite stimulants (leaf), Asthma (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Burns (leaf), Cathartics (leaf), Contusions (leaf), Dermatitis (leaf), Dysmenorrhea (leaf), Eye diseases (leaf), Filariasis (leaf), Flatulence (leaf), Furunculosis (leaf), Infection (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Menstruation disturbances (leaf), Muscle cramp (leaf), Neoplasms (leaf), Parasympatholytics (leaf), Pruritus (leaf), Simplexvirus (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Hydrocele (leaf), Urinary calculi (leaf), Wound healing (leaf), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Antipyretics (root), Cathartics (root), Disorder of ejaculation (root), Erectile dysfunction (root), Hemostasis (root), Joint diseases (root), Pregnancy (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Skin diseases (root), Anorexia (seed), Anthelmintics (seed), Anti-bacterial agents (seed), Antifungal agents (seed), Anti-inflammatory agents (seed), Antineoplastic agents (seed), Antirheumatic agents (seed), Blister (seed), Burns (seed), Cathartics (seed), Dermatitis (seed), Diabetes mellitus (seed), Dysmenorrhea (seed), Furunculosis (seed), Jaundice (seed), Joint diseases (seed), Menstruation disturbances (seed), Muscle cramp (seed), Neoplasms (seed), Night blindness (seed), Parasympatholytics (seed), General tonic for rejuvenation (seed), Simplexvirus (seed), Skin diseases (seed), Snake bites (seed), Urination disorders (seed), Vitiligo (seed), Wound healing (seed), Wounds and injuries (seed), Dental caries (stem), Antifungal agents (trichome), Constipation (trichome), Hemorrhage (trichome), Herpes simplex (trichome), Intestinal diseases, parasitic (trichome), Jaundice (trichome), Kidney calculi (trichome), Anti-poisoning (trichome), Scabies (trichome), Ulcer (trichome), Urinary bladder calculi (trichome), Antifertility (unspecified), Antioxidant (unspecified), Hair-Oil (unspecified), Herpes (unspecified), Lithontriptic (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Scabies (unspecified), Styptic (unspecified), Taenifuge (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Cyanogenetic (unspecified), Parasiticide (unspecified), Piscicide (unspecified), Ringworm (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Abortifacient agents (unspecified), Acne vulgaris (unspecified), Anthelmintics (unspecified), Antidotes (unspecified), Antifungal agents (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Antiparasitic agents (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Ascites (unspecified), Cathartics (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Eczema (unspecified), Exanthema (unspecified), Flatulence (unspecified), Furunculosis (unspecified), Hemorrhage (unspecified), Hemostasis (unspecified), Hemostatics (unspecified), Herpes simplex (unspecified), Laxatives (unspecified), Freckles (unspecified), Anti-poisoning (unspecified), Puerperal disorders (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Ulcer (unspecified), Urinary bladder calculi (unspecified), Wounds and injuries (unspecified), Endocrine system diseases (unspecified), Anti-infective agents (whole plant), Central nervous system diseases (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from fresh seed. The seed are washed and then sown. They can take several months to germinate. They can also be grown from hardened young cuttings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 25 - 34
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Mallotus philippensis leaf picture by Sudhanshu Kumar (cc-by-sa)
Mallotus philippensis leaf picture by Sudhanshu Kumar (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Mallotus philippensis flower picture by Rakesh Verma (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Mallotus philippensis fruit picture by Raj Mishra (cc-by-sa)
Mallotus philippensis fruit picture by phuentsho (cc-by-sa)
Mallotus philippensis fruit picture by Shreyash S (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Mallotus philippensis world distribution map, present in Andorra, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Moldova (Republic of), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Mallotus philippensis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:351650-1
WFO ID wfo-0000234691
COL ID 3XQ22
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Mappa stricta Macaranga stricta Mallotus reticulatus Euonymus hypoleucus Tanarius strictus Aconceveibum trinerve Croton distans Croton philippensis Mallotus bicarpellatus Rottlera aurantiaca Rottlera philippensis Rottlera tinctoria Echinus philippensis Copianthus indica Rottlera affinis Croton coccineus Croton montanus Croton punctatus Euonymus hypoglaucus Echinus philippinensis Mallotus philippensis var. reticulatus Rottlera tinctoria var. monstruosa Mallotus philippensis var. tomentosus Mallotus philippinensis var. reticulatus Mallotus philippensis var. philippensis Mallotus philippensis
WorldFloraDB 2024