Macaranga peltata

Botanical Name – Macaranga peltate

Common Name – Chandava (Marathi), Batla chamdika, Yaksh (Kannada), Chanda (Gujrati)

Distribution – Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujrat

Habit

• Medium to large sized deciduous tree
• Fast-growing
  
  

Habitat

• Moist deciduous and secondary forests, also in the plains
  
  

Specific properties

• Pioneer species
• Preferred for soil reclamation, land restoration
• Disturbance tolerant species
• Adapted for a high intensity sunlight
• Grows in forest edges, clearings, disturbed forests
  
  

Ecology

• Birds, bats, squirrels feed on fruits
• Larval host plant for Long-banded Silverline butterflies
• Provide ideal habitat to insects such as ants, flies, wasps
  
  

Uses

• Used to make leaf plates and wrap food-salt, sweets, jaggery etc.
• The gum powder is used for treatment of venereal diseases
• Yields gum, used as glue
• Suitable for making wooden pencils, plywood, and paper pulp
• Green Manure
• Used in coffee plantations for shade
• It is a resinous tree
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds