Acalypha leptopoda

• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

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 2,085 meters (0 to 6,841 feet).[1]

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Acalypha leptopoda var. glabrescens Müll. Arg.
2. Acalypha leptopoda var. mollis Müll. Arg.
3. Acalypha lotsii Donn. Sm.
4. Acalypha unibracteata Müll. Arg.
5. Ricinocarpus leptopodus /i> (Müll. Arg.) Kuntze
6. Ricinocarpus unibracteatus /i> (Müll. Arg.) Kuntze

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Publishing author : Müll.Arg. Publication : Prodr. (DC.) 15, pt . 2: 824 1866 Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Govaerts R., 11-Nov-2003

Similar Species

Members of the genus Acalypha

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 736 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. abingdonii · A. acapulcensis · A. accedens · A. accedens f. brachyandra · A. acrogyna · A. acuminata · A. adenophora · A. adenostachya · A. afrestis · A. agrestis · A. akoensis · A. alchorneoides · A. alexandri · A. alexandrii · A. aliena · A. allenii · A. alnifolia · A. alopecuroidea (Fox-Tail Copper-Leaf) · A. alopecuroidea var. glanduligera · A. alopecuroides · A. amantacea · A. ambigua · A. ambiodonta · A. ambliodonta · A. amblyodonta · A. amboynensis · A. amentacea (Fire Dragon Acalypha) · A. amentacea amentacea · A. amentacea subsp. wilkesiana · A. amentacea var. grandis · A. amentacea var. heterotricha · A. amentacea var. palauensis · A. amentacea var. trukensis · A. amentacea var. velutina · A. amentacea wilkesiana (Wilkes' Acalypha) · A. amphigyne · A. amplexicaulis · A. ampliata · A. amplifolia · A. anadenia · A. andina · A. andringitrensis · A. anemioides · A. angustata · A. angustifolia · A. angustissima · A. annobonae · A. apetiolata · A. apodanthes · A. arborea · A. arciana · A. argomuelleri · A. argomulleri · A. aristata (Field Copperleaf) · A. aronioides · A. arvensis · A. aspericocca · A. asterifolia · A. australis (Australian Acalypha) · A. bakeriana · A. balansae · A. baroni · A. baronii · A. benensis · A. benguelensis · A. berteriana (Berteron Acalypha) · A. berteroana · A. betulaefolia · A. bilbergiana · A. bipartita · A. bisetosa (Streambank Copperleaf) · A. boinensis · A. boiviniana · A. boliviensis · A. bopiana · A. botteriana · A. brachiata · A. brachyclada · A. brachystachya · A. bracteata · A. brasiliensis · A. brasiliensis f. obtusa · A. brevibracteata · A. brevicaulis · A. brevipetiolata · A. brittoni · A. brittonii · A. buchtieni · A. buchtienii · A. buddleifolia · A. bullata · A. burquezii · A. bussei · A. caeciliae · A. californica (California Copperleaf) · A. calyciformis · A. campylostyla · A. capensis · A. caperonioides · A. capillaris

More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A contribution to the flora of Honduras, by T. G. Yuncker. Chicago, 1938. ENG url p. 373.
• Flora Costaricensis / William Burger, editor. Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 1995. ENG url p. 164, p. 166, p. 51, p. 52.
• Flora of Costa Rica by Paul C. Standley Chicago, 1937. ENG url p. 599.
• Flora of Guatemala / Paul C. Standley and Julian A. Steyermark. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1949. ENG url p. 37, p. 46.
• Flora of Yucatan, by Paul C. Standley. Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, 1930. ENG url p. 318.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed May 28, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 4 providers.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesFeb 2, 2006.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 01, 2007:

• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
• , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM, MEXU/Plantas Vasculares

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3454528
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-797
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14258254
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:337547-1
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 1341-2
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 714151

Footnotes

1. Mean = 602.330 meters (1,976.148 feet), Standard Deviation = 601.300 based on 232 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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