The leaves of the Macaranga (Xietong) look like the ears of a baby elephant or the shape of a shield, and are always facing the sun. When the branches are damaged or broken they leak white milk, which is not obvious at first, but with time both the white milk and the core turn red because of oxidation. The red color is like blood (xie), which is how the tree got its name. The leaves can be used as animal feed; the light, soft wood is used for building materials, matches, and match boxes.
