Coelodiscus Baillon; Echinus Loureiro; Rottlera Roxburgh.

Trees or shrubs, rarely climbers, usually dioecious; indumentum usually of simple and stellate hairs, and whitish to reddish glandular scales. Leaves alternate or opposite with one member of pair smaller; stipules usually subulate; leaf blade undivided or lobate, sometimes peltate, abaxially often glandular-scaly, adaxially often distinctly glandular, base usually with 2 or more glands, venation palmate or pinnate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, mostly unbranched, less often branched, usually many flowered. Male flowers usually several per bract; calyx 3-5-partite, valvate; petals and disk absent; stamens 15-250; filaments free; anthers 2-locular, connective often broad; pistillode absent [or rarely present]. Females flowers 1(or 2) per bract; calyx 3-5-lobed, sometimes spathaceous and caducous; ovary (2 or)3(or 4)-locular; styles simple, plumose or long papillose; ovules 1 per locule. Capsule (2 or)3(or 4)-locular, smooth or softly spiny. Seeds subglobose or ovoid, smooth, sometimes with aril.

Phylogenetic studies (Sierra et al., Blumea 51: 519-540. 2006; Kulju et al., Blumea 52: 115-136. 2007) have revealed that Mallotus and Macaranga are closely related and that the species of Cordemoya are distinct from both. These also show that Trevia is embedded within Mallotus but its inclusion has serious nomenclatural consequences and so this is not followed here until the situation is resolved.

Govaerts et al. (World Checkl. Euphorbiaceae: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/home.do) indicated that Mallotus dispar (Blume) Müller Argoviensis, recorded from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam, occurs in Hainan and Taiwan, but we have not seen the support for this statement. It most closely resembles M. decipiens and M. yunnanensis but differs by the larger stipules, 5-6 mm, longer petiole, 4-5 cm, and more densely softly spiny capsule.

Mallotus neocavaleriei H. Léveillé (Fl. Kouy-Tchéou, 165. 1914-1915) is a synonym of Deeringia amaranthoides (Lamarck) Merrill in the Amaranthaceae (see Fl. China 5: 416. 2003).

About 150 species: tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, a few species in Africa and Australia; 28 species (seven endemic) in China.

(Authors: Qiu Huaxing (丘华兴 Chiu Hua-hsing, Kiu Hua-shing, Kiu Hua-xing); Michael G. Gilbert)