Macaraga tanarius
EUPHORBIACEAE. Indigenous
SIZE: Up to 8m tall; trunk size 25cm diameter
TYPE: Evergreen
HABITAT: Thickets, wasteland, open spaces an second-growth forests at low and medium altitudes
The binunga is suitable for the natural regeneration of deforested land as it is a fast-growing pioneer species. In southern Sumatra binunga has been used by pepper growers to make temporary ladders to harvest the crop. Its wood was popular for making the once-ubiquitous bakya (wooden clogs). A decoction of the binunga’s root-bark may be applied topically on wounds, but not including its sap, which is sticky as glue.