Interesting Facts
Description
Family Euphorbiaceae
The Euphorbiaceae are mostly monoecious herbs, shrubs , and trees , sometimes succulent and cactus-like, comprising one of the largest families of plants with about 300 genera and 7,500 species that are further characterized by the frequent occurrence of milky sap . The leaves are mostly alternate but may be opposite or whorled and they are simple , or compound , or sometimes highly reduced. Stipules are generally present but may be reduced to hairs , glands or spines. The flowers are unisexual and usually actinomorphic . They may be highly reduced by suppression of parts, in the extreme form consisting of a naked stamen as a male flower and a naked pistil as a female flower. A specialized type of miniature inflorescence called a cyathium occurs in about 1,500 species comprising the genera Euphorbia and Chamaesyce. The cyathium consists of a single naked pistillate flower surrounded by cymes of naked staminate flowers, each consisting of a single stamen. These flowers are all enclosed in a cup-like involucre that typically is provided with peripheral nectaries and petaloid appendages such that the whole aggregation closely resembles a single flower. In other members of the family the flowers and inflorescences are more ordinary in appearance , with male and female flowers typically bearing a 5-merous calyx and corolla of distinct segments, although the corolla is sometimes absent. In these forms the androecium most commonly consists of 5, 10 or sometimes numerous distinct or monadelphous stamens. The gynoecium of female flowers consists of a single compound pistil of typically 3 carpels, an equal number of styles or primary style branches, and a superior ovary with typically 3 locules, each bearing 1 or 2 collateral , axile-apical pendulous ovules. The fruit is usually a capsular schizocarp. -- Gerald Carr.
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,408 meters (0 to 4,619 feet).[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
)
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
(
)
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Malpighiales
(
)
- C. Martius, 1835
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
(
)
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Spurge Family
- Subfamily:
Crotonoideae
(
)
- Subfamily:
Crotonoideae
(
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
(
- Order:
Malpighiales
(
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Croton flavescens var. brandegeeanus Croizat • Croton morifolius var. brandegeeanus (Croizat) G. L. Webster
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 11-Nov-2003
Similar Species
Members of the genus Croton
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 61 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
C. alabamensis (Alabama Croton) · C. alabamensis var. alabamensis (Alabama Croton) · C. alabamensis var. texensis (Alabama Croton) · C. argenteus (Silver July Croton) · C. argyranthemus (Healing Croton) · C. astroites (Wild Marrow) · C. betulinus (Beechleaf Croton) · C. bonplandianus (Bonpland's Croton) · C. californicus (California Croton) · C. californicus var. californicus (California Croton) · C. capitatus (Hogwort) · C. capitatus var. lindheimeri (Lindheimers Hogwort) · C. cascarilla (Grannybush) · C. ciliatoglandulifer (Mexican Croton) · C. cortesianus (Cortez's Croton) · C. coryi (Cory's Croton) · C. dioicus (Grassland Croton) · C. discolor (Lechecillo) · C. elliottii (Elliott's Croton) · C. eluteria (Cascarilla) · C. fishlockii (Fishlock's Croton) · C. flavens (Yellow Balsam) · C. fruticulosus (Bush Croton) · C. glandulosus (Lindheimer's Croton) · C. glandulosus var. glandulosus (Vente Conmigo) · C. heterocarpus (Croton) · C. humilis (Low Croton) · C. impressus (Puerto Rico Croton) · C. incanus (Torrey Croton) · C. lachnocarpus (Hairyfruit Croton) · C. leucophyllus (Two-Color Croton) · C. lindheimerianus (Lindheimer's Croton) · C. lindheimerianus var. tharpii (Tharp Croton) · C. lucidus (Firebush) · C. macrobotrys (Sangue-De-Drago) · C. michauxii (Michauxs Croton) · C. microcarpus (Money Croton) · C. monanthogynus (Prairie Tea) · C. ovalifolius (Yerba) · C. parksii (Parks Croton) · C. poecilanthus (Sabinon) · C. pottsii (Leather-Weed) · C. pottsii var. pottsii (Leather Croton) · C. pottsii var. thermophilus (Leatherweed) · C. punctatus (Gulf Croton) · C. ripensis (Croton) · C. sampatik (Perennial Croton Species) · C. sancti-lazari (Trans Pecos Croton) · C. scouleri (Chala) · C. sessiliflorus (Amansa Guapo) · C. setiger (Doveweed) · C. setigerus (Croton) · C. soliman (Soliman Croton) · C. sonorae (Sonoran Croton) · C. stenophyllus (West Indian Croton) · C. suaveolens (Scented Croton) · C. texensis (Texas Croton) · C. tiglium (Croton Oil Plant) · C. trinitatis (Roadside Croton) · C. wigginsii (Wiggins' Croton) · C. willdenowii (Elliptical Rushfoil)
More Info
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 23 1920-1926 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 619.
- Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium. 9 1966 Ann Arbor: University Herbarium, University of Michigan, 1939- url p. 28, p. 353, p. 363, p. 366, p. 38, p. 99.
- Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, url p. 26.
- Trees and shrubs of Mexico / By Paul C. Standley. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1920-1926. url p. 619.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- The New York Botanical Garden, Vascular Plant Type Specimens
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3455279
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-49915
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14256700
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:342538-1
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1070001
Footnotes
- Mean = 295.870 meters (970.702 feet), Standard Deviation = 364.420 based on 15 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
