samak – /sa-mak/ Ilocano tree /bark /leaf /fermentation agent) [n.] parasol leaf tree (sc.name: Macaranga tanarius, Linn.) \elephant’s ear
binunga in Tagalog and Ilonggo
minunga in Bicolano
A small tree with medicinal bark, leaves, and fruits is used in fermenting and coloring basi (sugarcane wine), sukang Iloko (Ilocano sugarcane vinegar), and tuba (palm wine) in some places of Luzon.
How to tell binunga leaves from binungang-malapad.
Binunga leaf (Macaranga tanarius) is very much like that of Macaranga grandifolia (of botanists Fr. Francisco Manuel Blanco and Elmer Drew Merrill) commonly known as binungang-malapad in Tagalog. They are often confused and mistaken to be the same. The slight variation is the "rounded" shape of tanarius compared to grandifolia's "heart shape" with more pointed and sometimes curvy bottom tip.
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