Macaranga bancana

 

Macaranga bancana

Euphorbiaceae

Malpighiales

A native tree specie with hollow twigs that ants live in. Ants feed on small parcels of starch found under the stipules (brownish-red structures along the stem) and are said to fend the plant from herbivores and other vines.

References:

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/0/3005
https://besgroup.org/2014/07/17/common-macaranga-macaranga-bandana-and-its-ants/#:~:text=The%20plant%20provides%20food%20for,emerge%20from%20inside%20the%20stem).