Scientific Name : Mallotus paniculatus (Lam.) Müll. Arg.
Common Name : Turn-in-the-wind, Panicled Mallotus
Chinese Name : 白楸, 力樹, 黃背桐, 白葉子
Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species
| Origins | Various provinces in South China. It can also be found throughout Southeast Asia and Northeast Australia. |
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| Meanings of name | Its beautiful English name “Turn-in-the-wind" is inspired by its leaves, which shows two different colours. The top side of the leaf is dark green, while the underside is white. When the wind blows, the white side is exposed, its eye-catching appearance rippling like rough ocean waves. The scientific name of Turn-in-the-wind is similarly vivid. Its genus name “Mallotus” means “wool-like”, describing the fuzzy hairs on the plant. Meanwhile, the species epithet “paniculatus” refers to the panicle inflorescence of the plant. |
| Applications | As mentioned above, the Turn-in-the-wind possesses great ornamental value and thus can be used as a street tree. However, it must be noted that this species requires regular pruning to maintain a good tree shape. Furthermore, the seeds of the Turn-in-the-wind contain high oil content which can be extracted for industrial use. |
| Ecology | Turn-in-the-wind is a common native species in Hong Kong. It grows mostly in lowland thin forests and shrublands. The base of its leaves has a pair of eye-like glands, which secretes nectar in order to attract insects. In addition, its seeds are a source of food for some forest birds. |
| Growing habit | Evergreen shrub or tree. |
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| Height | To 15 m. |
| Stems | Bark of trunk greyish brown, nearly smooth. Branchlets brown-stellate-tomentose. |
| Leaves | Alternate, thick papery, ovate, ovate-triangular or rhombic. Apex long-acuminate, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin subentire, undulate or coarsely serrate, sometimes with 2 lobes on the upper part. Basal veins 3 to 5. With 2 basal glands near petioles, like a pair of eyes. Petioles slightly peltate, brown-stellate-tomentose. Young leaves densely tomentose in colour of greyish yellow to greyish white on both surfaces, mature leaves glabrous adaxially. |
| Flowers | Yellow to white. Dioecious. Inflorescences terminal, branches spreading. Calyx lobes 4 to 5, ovate to oblong, densely stellate-pubescent abaxially. |
| Fruits | Capsules oblate, stellate-tomentose in brown colour. Sparsely covered by soft and subulate spines. |
| Seeds | Dark brown, subglobose, often wrinkled. |
| Flowering period | July to October in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | November to December in Hong Kong. |
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=3760
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Mallotus paniculatus (Lamarck) Müller Argoviensis
― Plants of the World Online : Mallotus paniculatus (Lam.) Müll.Arg.