Paracroton pendulus

Paracroton pendulus is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a tree native to the Western Ghats of southwestern India, Sri Lanka, southern Myanmar, Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines.^[2][1]

Paracroton pendulus
Paracroton pendulus subsp. zeylanicus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Genus:	Paracroton
Species:	P. pendulus
Binomial name
Paracroton pendulus (Hassk.) Miq.
Subspecies[2]
Paracroton pendulus subsp. pendulus Paracroton pendulus subsp. zeylanicus (Thwaites) N.P.Balakr. & Chakr.
Synonyms[3]
Blumeodendron muelleri Kurz Croton pendulus Hassk. Fahrenheitia collina Rchb. & Zoll. ex Müll.Arg. Fahrenheitia pendula (Hassk.) Airy Shaw Ostodes collina (Rchb. & Zoll. ex Müll.Arg.) Pax Ostodes macrophylla (Müll.Arg.) Benth. & Hook.f. Ostodes pendula (Hassk.) A.Meeuse Ostodes serratocrenata Merr. Paracroton pendulus subsp. pendulus Trigonostemon macrophyllus (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg. Tritaxis macrophylla Müll.Arg.

It is a canopy or subcanopy tree in tropical moist evergreen forests from 150 to 1800 meters elevation.^[4]

Description

• Leaves - simple, alternate; lamina elliptic to oblanceolate; apex acuminate; margin serrate.
• Flowers - unisexual flowers are dioecious. inflorescence is panicled pendulous racemes.
• Fruits - globose brownish tomentose capsule.
• Uses - timber, medicine. red sap is known to have irritating ability.^[5]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are accepted.^[2]

• Paracroton pendulus subsp. pendulus – southern Myanmar to the Philippines
• Paracroton pendulus subsp. zeylanicus (Thwaites) N.P.Balakr. & Chakr. (synonyms Desmostemon zeylanicus Thwaites, Fahrenheitia zeylanica (Thwaites) Airy Shaw, Ostodes zeylanica (Thwaites) Müll.Arg., and Trigonostemon zeylanicus (Thwaites) Müll.Arg.) – southwestern India and Sri Lanka^[6]