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18: Plants producing exudates

Balanophora fungosa J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Balanophoraceae

Balanophora gigantea Wall. ex Fawc., Balanophora globosa Jungh., Balanophora indica (Arn.) Griff.

Indonesia: perud puspa. Thailand: khanun din (general), kok maak paasee (northern), bua phut (peninsular).

From India, throughhout South-East Asia to eastern Australia, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Fiji and the Marianas.

Balanophora fungosa contains so much wax that it is used to make small candles or torches. Whole plants are macerated and heated until the pulp sticks to small bamboo strips which are then sold as candles. The wax can also be obtained by cooking the plant. All parts of the plant are also used as an aphrodisiac.

Monoecious or dioecious, tuberous root parasite, without chlorophyll, yellow to orange-yellow or red, 1—22 cm long. Tubers single or fused into a clump 10—15 cm wide, branching from the base; single tuber subspherical or depressed, 1—3 cm in diameter, surface coarsely tessellate with polygons 5—7 mm across. Leaves 10—30, usually arranged spirally, imbricate, closely appressed to the stem and the lower part of the inflorescence, 2—3 cm long. In monoecious plants (subsp. fungosa) the male flowers (2—20) are situated just below the female part of the inflorescence, they are 4—5-merous with ovoid-ellipsoidal synandrium; female part of inflorescence subspherical to ovoid, 1—3.5 cm in diameter, largest flowers about 1 mm long. In dioecious plants (subsp. indica (Arn.) B.Hansen), the male inflorescence is ellipsoidal and 2—12 cm long with expanded flowers, the female inflorescence variously subellipsoidal, 1—8 cm long, largest flowers with pistil 1.5—2 mm long. Balanophora fungosa flowers throughout the year and is found in dense primary forest up to 1000 m altitude. It parasitizes many forest tree species, e.g. Diospyros maritima Blume, Macaranga tanarius (L.) Müll.Arg. and Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Several subspecies and varieties have been distinguished on the basis of differences in inflorescences. In West Java var. globosa (Jungh.) B.Hansen with depressed subspherical inflorescences (only female ones observed) up to 4 cm in diameter occurs in the evergreen forest at 1500—2000 m altitude, often with Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. ('puspa') as host, but it is also found on various other tree species. Because the species is rare, candles and wax have never been traded commercially.

[5]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964–1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1. 647 pp., Vol. 2. 641 pp., Vol. 3. 761 pp.
[21]Hansen, B., 1976. Balanophoraceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 7(4). Noordhoff, Leiden, the Netherlands. pp. 783–805.
[23]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlands-Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd Edition, 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch-Indië. 1953 pp. (3rd Edition, 1950. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands / Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 pp.).

E. Boer & P.C.M. Jansen

Boer, E. & Jansen, P.C.M., 2000. Balanophora fungosa J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.. In: Boer, E. and Ella, A.B. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 18: Plants producing exudates. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea