4. Mallotus anomalus Merrill & Chun, Sunyatsenia. 5: 99. 1940.
锈毛野桐 xiu mao ye tong
Shrubs 1-3 m tall. Branchlets and inflorescences densely ferruginous stellate-pubescent. Leaves opposite, each pair slightly unequal; stipules triangular, 4-5 mm; petiole 1-7 cm; leaf blade broadly elliptic, obovate, or oblong-obovate, 5-30 × 3-18 cm, chartaceous, adaxially pubescent along veins, abaxially ferruginous tomentulose, base obtuse, sometimes subcordate, with 2-4 glands, margin repand-serrate, apex acute; lateral veins 7-9 pairs. Male inflorescences axillary, unbranched, 2.5-4 cm; bracts lanceolate, 3-5 mm. Male flowers 3-5-fascicled; pedicel ca. 3 mm; calyx lobes 3, long ovate, ca. 4 mm, pubescent; stamens 25-30. Female racemes 2-4 cm, with 3-8 flowers; bracts triangular or ovate-lanceolate, ca. 3 mm. Female flowers: sepals 3, lanceolate, 4-7 mm, pubescent; ovary densely pubescent; styles 3, 3-4 mm, base connate, plumose. Capsule 3-locular, ca. 12 mm in diam., pubescent and sparsely shortly softly spiny; pedicel 1-1.5 cm. Seeds ovoid, 4-6 mm, brown. Fl. and fr. Mar-Dec.
● Mountain slopes or valleys, forests, thickets; below 100-400 m. S Hainan.