Greening - Tree Labels with QR Codes (22)

Elephant's Ear, Common Macaranga

Scientific Name : Macaranga tanarius (L.) Müll. Arg. var. tomentosa (Blume) Müll. Arg.
Common Name : Elephant's Ear, Common Macaranga
Chinese Name : 血桐, 流血桐, 帳篷樹
Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	Guangdong Province and Taiwan. Japan. Also distributed in Australia and countries of Southeast Asia.
Ecology	Elephant's Ear is one of the native plant species of Hong Kong, with fast growth rate and ability to adapt various kinds of habitats. Forests at lower altitudes and coastal regions are the natural habitats of the species. It is also cultivated in gardens. Elephant’s Ear can be quite often seen on open abandoned land in the urban area of Hong Kong.
Meanings of names	The Chinese name “Blood Macaranga (血桐)” and “Bleeding Macaranga (流血桐)” both consist the word “blood (血)”. It is ascribed to the sap excreted from wound which will turn reddish brown due to oxidation, looking like bleeding. The Chinese name “Tent Tree(帳篷樹)” refers to the shape of crown and leaves, which look like tents or umbrella. The English name “Elephant’s Ear” is depicting its peltate leaves which are similar to the giant ears of elephant.

Traits for identification

Growing habit	Evergreen tree.
Height	To 10 m.
Stems	Main trunk comparatively short, branching relatively low, bark grey. Branchlets stout, glaucous.
Leaves	Suborbicular to ovate-orbicular. Petiole peltate, leaves shaped like a shield. Palmate veins 9 to 11, branched from petiole. Apex acuminate, base round and obtuse, margin entire or obscurely serrulate, texture papery.
Flowers	Dioecious. Inflorescence many-branched, paniculate, pale green. About 11 flowers clustered in the axil of bract for male inflorescence. Flowers solitary in the axil of bract for female inflorescence. Bracts leaflike, ovate, green, base concave adaxially in a shape of hood, margin fimbriate.
Fruits	Capsule green, subglobose, 2- to 3- locular, densely glandular scaly with scattered soft spines.
Flowering period	April to May in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period	June to August in Hong Kong.

Overview of <em>Macaranga tanariu</em>s (L.) Müll. Arg. var. <em>tomentosa</em> (Blume) Müll. Arg.

Main trunk comparatively short, branching of trunk relatively low.

Suborbicular to ovate-orbicular. Petiole peltate, leaves shaped like a shield.

Inflorescence many-branched, paniculate, pale green. About 11 flowers clustered in the axil of bract. Bracts leaflike, ovate, green, base concave adaxially in a shape of hood, margin fimbriate.

Inflorescence many-branched, paniculate, pale green. Flowers solitary in the axil of bract. Bracts leaflike, ovate, green, base concave adaxially in a shape of hood, margin fimbriate.

Capsule green, subglobose, densely glandular scaly with scattered soft spines.

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3749

Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Macaranga tanarius (Linnaeus) Müller Argoviensis var. tomentosa (Blume) Müller Argoviensis
― Plants of the World Online : Macaranga tanarius (L.) Müll.Arg.

Reference

eFloras. (2008). Macaranga tanarius (Linnaeus) Müller Argoviensis var. tomentosa (Blume) Müller Argoviensis. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 2^nd April 2020, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=250084244
Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Macaranga tanarius (L.) Müll. Arg. var. tomentosa (Blume) Müll. Arg. 血桐. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 2^nd April 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/3749/3749_S_E.pdf
Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium. (2020). Macaranga tanarius (L.) Müll. Arg. var. tomentosa (Blume) Müll. Arg. 血桐. Pro-Factsheet. Taxonomical Archive System. Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Native Plant Resources and Database in Hong Kong. Retrieved 2^nd April 2020, from: https://syhuherbarium.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/collections/factsheet-pro/macaranga-tanarius-var-tomentosa/
中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2010）。《深圳植物誌》（第2卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-5884-0。
中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈血桐Macaranga tanarius (L.) Muell. Arg.〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年4月2日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Macaranga%20tanarius?t=z
中國科學院華南植物園。（2003）。《廣東植物誌》（第5卷）。廣州 : 廣東科技出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5359-3322-X。
丘華興。（1982）。〈中國血桐屬植物資料〉。《廣西植物》，2（3），147-152。於2020年4月19日擷取自 : http://big5.oversea.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?QueryID=1&CurRec=10&DbCode=CJFD&dbname=CJFD7984&filename=GXZW198203007&uid=WEEvREcwSlJHSldRa1FhdkJtNEYwbVRBOThJWUxhSGRNcTk2Zmp0UEl5dz0=$9A4hF_YAuvQ5obgVAqNKPCYcEjKensW4IQMovwHtwkF4VYPoHbKxJw!!
趙珊珊、曾慶文、邢福武。（2010）。〈澳門青洲山血桐群落特徵及物種多樣性研究〉。《安徽農業科學》，38（6），3243 -3248。[doi:10.13989/j.cnki.0517-6611.2010.06.036]。於2020年4月19日擷取自 : http://big5.oversea.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?QueryID=1&CurRec=7&DbCode=CJFD&dbname=CJFD2010&filename=AHNY201006178&uid=WEEvREcwSlJHSldRa1FhdkJtNEYwbVRBOThJWUxhSGRNcTk2Zmp0UEl5dz0=$9A4hF_YAuvQ5obgVAqNKPCYcEjKensW4IQMovwHtwkF4VYPoHbKxJw!!