Kingdom Plantae Family Euphorbiaceae Tribe Acalypheae Scientific name Claoxylon indicum | Order Malpighiales Subfamily Acalyphoideae Subtribe Claoxylinae Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Claoxylon, Aporosa, Bridelia tomentosa, Cleidion, Actephila | ||
Claoxylon indicum is a dioecious flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The specific epithet comes from the Latin Indicus (Indian), referring to the locality of collection of the type specimen, which was probably Java, part of the Dutch East Indies at that time.
Contents
Description
Claoxylon indicum is a pyramid-shaped shrub or small tree growing to 2–10 m in height. Its branches are grey and hairy, with large leaf scars. The leaves are oval and 80–300 mm long. The slender male inflorescence is 30–150 mm long, carrying many flowers; the female inflorescence 15–80 mm long. The lobed fruit is 7–10 mm in diameter, and the seeds round, black and wrinkled.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is widely distributed through southern and south-eastern Asia from India and southern China through Indochina and Malesia to Sulawesi. It also occurs on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean south of Java. It is common along roadsides, railways, forest edges and in forest clearings.