Macaranga is a genus in the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises trees,
treelets and some lianas, many of which are conspicuous large-leafed
pioneers of disturbed habitats. Some species have ant associations.
There are 257 species, of which 21 are newly described here. The genus
is most diverse in South East Asia and New Guinea but also occurs in
Africa and Madagascar (37 species), continental Asia (30 species), the
Pacific Islands (24 species) and Australia (7 species). The species can
be identified with the help of either regional keys or keys within
informal species groups. Twenty-five species are illustrated.