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12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3

Mallotus philippensis (Lamk) Müll. Arg.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Mallotus in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Linnaea 34: 196 (1865; 'philippinensis').

Croton philippense Lamk (1786).

Kamala tree, monkey face tree, red berry (En). Croton tinctorial, rottlière des teinturiers (Fr). Indonesia: galuga furu (Ternate), kapasan (Javanese), ki meyong (Sundanese). Malaysia: rambai kuching (general), kasirau, minyak madja (Peninsular). Papua New Guinea: tore (Vanapa Bridge, Central Province). Philippines: banato (Tagalog), pangaplasin (Ilokano), tagusala (Bisaya). Burma (Myanmar): hpawng-awn. Cambodia: 'ân-nadaa. Laos: kh'aay paax, khiiz moon, tangx thôôm. Thailand: kai khat hin, khee nuea (north-eastern), kham saet (central). Vietnam: r[uf]m nao, c[as]nh ki[ees]n, m[oj]t.

From India and Sri Lanka to Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region, northern Australia and Melanesia.

The granules on the fruit have been widely used as an anthelmintic and to treat skin complaints, e.g. herpes. They have been applied as a drastic purgative. The leaves and bark are also used to treat skin diseases, and pounded seeds are applied to wounds. The seeds are administered in traditional medicine in Thailand to treat vertigo and loss of appetite; a decoction of the wood is used to treat muscular inflammation and kidney diseases. The leaves are used as diuretic and anti-amoebic. In Papua New Guinea, a decoction of the leaves is applied against diarrhoea, but also to treat constipation; the sap is applied to wounds. The granules which cover the ripe fruit are used in India as a dye ('kamala') for dyeing silk and wool bright orange, and as a preservative for vegetable oils and dairy products. The seed oil is sometimes used in the production of rapid-drying paints and varnishes, as a substitute for tung oil from Aleurites. The wood is useful as a fuelwood and is sometimes used for implements and rafters. The leaves are used as a fodder.

A small to medium-sized tree up to 25 m tall; leaves arranged spirally, elliptical to lanceolate-ovate or obovate, with red glandular granules below, not peltate; fruit subglobose, with a dense layer of red granules. Mallotus philippensis occurs in many different habitats, in primary and secondary forest, edges of mangroves and scrub vegetation in grassland, up to 1600 m altitude.

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Ch.B. Lugt

Lugt, Ch.B., 2003. Mallotus philippensis (Lamk) Müll. Arg.. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea