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 3,051 meters (0 to 10,010 feet).[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Magnoliophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Flowering Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Dilleniidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
()
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Euphorbiales
()
- Lindley, 1833
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
()
- J.f. Gmelin, 1777, Nom. Cons.
- Spurge Family
- Genus:
Acidoton
()
- Specific epithet:
nicaraguensis
- (Hemsl.) G.L.Webster
- Botanical name: - Acidoton nicaraguensis (Hemsl.) G.L.Webster
- Specific epithet:
nicaraguensis
- (Hemsl.) G.L.Webster
- Genus:
Acidoton
(
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
(
- Order:
Euphorbiales
(
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
(
- Subclass:
Dilleniidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Magnoliophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Unambiguous Synonyms
- Acidoton venezolanus (Pax & K. Hoffm.) G. L. Webster
- Cleidion nicaraguense Hemsl.
- Gitara panamensis Croizat
- Gitara venezolana Pax & K. Hoffm.
Notes
Publishing author : G.L.Webster Publication : Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. liv. 191 (1967), in obs. Basionym author: (Pax & K .Hoffm.) Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Govaerts R., 11-Nov-2003
Similar Species
Members of the genus Acidoton
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
A. flueggeodes · A. haitiensis · A. lanceolatus · A. microphyllus · A. nicaraguensis · A. obovatus · A. ramiflorus · A. urens · A. variifolius · A. virosus (Common Bushweed)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Flora Costaricensis / William Burger, editor. Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 1995. ENG url p. 13, p. 164, p. 166, p. 56, p. 57.
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 29, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 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 November 15, 2007:
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program
- Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
- Herbier de la Guyane, Herbier de la Guyane
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
- , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3408876
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-1943
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14238787
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:337981-1
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 2655-2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1276317
Footnotes
- Mean = 300.320 meters (985.302 feet), Standard Deviation = 413.990 based on 293 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
