Turn-in-the-Wind (Mallotus paniculatus)
This 5th instalment of our Butterflies' Larval Host Plants series features Turn-in-the-wind (Mallotus paniculatus), a species in Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) which is a large family of flowering plants with about 7,500 species. The members take on a variety of growth forms (trees, shrub, herb) with some having considerable economic significance (for examples, the Rubber Tree, Cassava and Castor Oil Plant). Turn-in-the-wind is a member which assumes the shrub and tree form. The name "paniculatus" refers to the branched state of the inflorescence.
Turn-in-the-wind is native to East Asia, Southeast Asia to North Australia. In Singapore, it is a common plant which can be found in multiple habitats including secondary forest reserve, wastelands. hill parks and gardens. Turn-in-the-wind proves to be a useful plant to human in various parts of the world. For examples, the root and leaves have medicinal uses while the bark and wood have been used in construction, making strings, matches, packing cases and paper pulp.
Plant Biodata :
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Genus : Mallotus
Species : paniculatus
Synonyms : Mallotus conchinchinensis, Croton appendiculatus
Country/Region of Origin : East Asia, Southeast Asia to North Australia
English Common Names : Panicled Mallotus, Turn-in-the-wind
Other Local Namezs : Balek angin, 白楸 , 白匏子
Larval Host for Butterfly Species: Megisba malaya sikkima (Malayan), Semanga superba deliciosa, Rapala pheretima sequeira (Copper Flash), Rapala dieneces dieneces (Scarlet Flash), Allotinus unicolor unicolor (Lesser Darkwing), Logania marmorata damis (Pale Mottle), Mooreana trichoneura trichoneura (Yellow Flat).
Turn-in-the-wind is an evergreen plant which appears in shrub to small tree form up to 15m tall. The leaves are simple and tripli-veined (where the lowest pair of veinlets are much more conspicuous than others above them) and are arranged in alternate to apically subopposite manner. The petioles are greenish tawny and rather long. The young leaves are initially reddish brown.
Mature leaves are yellowish green to green on the upperside, whitish on the underside, and up to 15cm long.
The common name "Turn-in-the-wind" comes from the fact that the long and slender petioles cause the leaves to twist even in slight breeze, showing the contrasting and whitish underside.
Leaf shapes are variable with leaf margin entire to irregularly dentate, sometimes 2-lobed.
There are two conspicuous nectary glands at leaf base on the upperside. The nectary fluid from these glands is a food source for various insects visiting or resident on the plant.
Turn-in-the-wind is usually dioecious (having separate male and female plants), but
occasionally monoecious forms do occur. Flowers are placed in panicles (much-branched inflorescence) which occur either terminally or axillary. Staminate (male) inflorescences are up to 45cm long with side branches to 28cm long. Each branch has up to 70 nodes, each of which bearing 3 to 7 flowers. The male flowers are small with pale yellow sepals and yellow anthers. Pistillate (female) inflorescences are up to 30cm long and up to 75 nodes per branch. The female flowers are 3-4mm in diameter and have yellow style and yellow stigma.
The 3-lobed fruits are greenish tawny and about 7mm in diameter. Each bears several hairy spines which are up to 7mm long. When ripened, the fruits split open to reveal small, globose seeds which are smooth and black.
In Singapore, Turn-in-the-wind also serves as the larval host plant for seven butterfly species: Megisba malaya sikkima (Malayan), Semanga superba deliciosa,
Rapala pheretima sequeira (Copper Flash),
Rapala dieneces dieneces (Scarlet Flash),
Allotinus unicolor unicolor (Lesser Darkwing),
Logania marmorata damis (Pale Mottle),
and
Mooreana trichoneura trichoneura (Yellow Flat). The first six are lycaenid species, while the last one is a member of Hesperiidae (subfmaily: Pyrginae).
Eggs of the Malayan are typically laid among flower buds, whereas those for Semanga superba deliciosa, Copper Flash and Scarlet Flash are laid on young shoots. The Lesser Darkwing and the Pale Mottle are carnivorous species which feed on tree hoppers living on young shoots and inflorescences of the Turn-in-the-wind. Their eggs are typically laid at these sites and sometimes even directly onto the body of these scale insects. In contrast, the eggs of the Yellow Flat are laid on the upper surface of mature leaves, often concealed in a tuff of hair.
Caterpillars of the Malayan feed on flower buds and flowers on the flower/fruit inflorescences while those of Semanga superba deliciosa and two Rapala spp. feed on young leaves and shoots. The two carnivorous spp. do not consume any plant parts but attack and feed on tree hoppers living on young shoots and inflorescences. The caterpillars of the Yellow Flat feed on leaf blades as well but live in a folded-up leaf shelters on a chosen leaf. All six lycaenid species have nectary glands which attract ants to attend to them.
Caterpillars of the Malayan typically choose to pupate near its feeding site on the inflorescence.
Those of other five lycaenid species, ie. Semanga, two flashes and two carnivorous species, typically choose to pupate on the leaf surface, usually on the underside. The Yellow Flat, being a skipper species, pupates within the final leaf shelter utilized.
With so many butterfly species utilizing Turn-in-the-wind as larval host, this plant is always a worthwhile target to check out whenever you encounter one during a walk in parks and the nature reserve. If luck is on you side, you might even find early stages of other butterfly species present, thus adding to the list of resident species on this amazing plant.
References:
- The Concise Flora of Singapore : Hsuan Keng Singapore University Press, 1990.
- 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore : Boo Chih Min, Kartini Omar-Hor and Ou-Yang Chow Lin, National Parks Board, 2nd Edition 2007.
- Mallotus paniculatus - Asianplant.net.
- Mallotus paniculatus, Useful Tropical Plants.
- Euphorbiaceae, Wikipedia.
Text and Photos by Horace Tan.