Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Müll.Arg.

 Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym: Aconceveibum trinerve Miq., Croton coccineus Vahl

Vernacular name: Chenkolli, Kampipala, Kapilam Kunkumam,

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, evergreen and dry deciduous forests, also in the plains

Distribution:  Indo-Malesia and Australia, India

Flowering and Fruiting: October-March

Key identification features: Leaf is ovate or ovate-lanceolate. The upper surface is glabrous. The unisexual flowers appear in brick red terminal spicate panicles. The male flowers have 4 tepals. The female flowers have 3 or 4 thicker tepals compared to the male flowers. The fruit is a capsule and is globose. It is densely covered with red-glandular with 1 to 4 globose seeds.

Uses: The capsules are a chief source for the extraction of orange dye (Kamela). The wood is used as fuel. The fruit and leaves are used in numerous herbal preparations.