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Homalanthus nutans, known locally as the mamala tree, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. In Australia it is known as the bleeding heart and the Queensland poplar.
Samoan healers use the tree's bark in a concoction made to treat hepatitis. Research has indicated that a chemical from the bark called prostratin has in vitro activity against HIV.
Homalanthus nutans is native to various tropical Pacific islands: the Caroline Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, the Society Islands, Tonga, Tubuai Island, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. It also grows in northeastern Australia, in Queensland and the coastal strip of New South Wales at altitudes of up to 500 m (1,600 ft). The seeds have a long dormancy period, but germinate readily when the conditions are suitable, such as when the previously shady forest floor becomes illuminated by direct sunlight. It is a pioneer species, found in woodland and on roadside verges, readily colonising disturbed ground.
Homalanthus acuminatus · Bleeding Heart · Kermadec Poplar · Bleeding Heart Tree · Small Homalanthus · Homalanthus stokesii · Homalanthus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Homalanthus nutans by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
