e-Key v3 - Key to Euphorbiaceae Genera
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.
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  • Herbs, sometimes woody at base, or succulent herbs or shrubs
002
b
  • Shrubs or trees
002
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  • Leaves opposite or whorled
002
b
  • Leaves mostly alternate, often much reduced in succulent species
002
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  • Apparent flower (cyathium) a ± cup-shaped structure with glands around its rim enclosing several stamens (reduced male flowers) and a central reduced female flower
Euphorbia
b
  • Flowers male, female or bisexual, not borne in a cyathium
002
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  • Calyx 3-lobed
* Mercurialis
b
  • Calyx 5-lobed
Adenocline
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  • Apparent flower (cyathium) a ± cup-shaped structure with glands around its rim enclosing several stamens (reduced male flowers) and a central reduced female flower
002
b
  • Flowers male, female or bisexual, not borne in a cyathium
002
Backtrack a
  • Cyathium with (2,3) 4 or 5 (6-8) separate glands
Euphorbia
b
  • Cyathium with a glandular rim open on one side
Monadenium
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  • Plants twining or trailing, often with stinging hairs
002
b
  • Plants erect to diffuse, not climbing or trailing
002
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  • Inflorescences surrounded by 2 large foliaceous involucral bracts
Dalechampia
b
  • Inflorescences not involucrate
002
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  • Stinging hairs absent
  • Capsule breaking into 4 dorsally winged cocci
Plukenetia
b
  • Stinging hairs usually present
  • Capsule of 3 wingless cocci
002
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  • Styles united into a tube
Tragiella
b
  • Styles free above
Tragia
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  • Leaves palmately lobed, large, peltate
  • Plant often tree-like
* Ricinus
b
  • Leaves not deeply palmately lobed
  • Petiole attached to leaf base
002
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  • Petals present, at least in male flowers
002
b
  • Petals absent
002
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  • Indumentum stellate or lepidote
002
b
  • Indumentum simple or 0
002
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  • Anthers reversed and filaments inflexed in bud, becoming erect in the open flower\Racemes or spikes terminal
Croton
b
  • Anthers erect or twice flexed in bud
Chrozophora
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  • Flowers in axillary fascicles
002
b
  • Flowers in racemose or cymose inflorescences
002
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  • Male disc of separate glands
  • Stamens connate into a tube
Clutia
b
  • Male disc saucer-shaped
  • Stamens free or connate basally
Andrachne
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  • Annual herbs
  • Disc obsolete
Caperonia
b
  • Perennial herbs or shrubs
  • Disc of 5 free glands or annular
Jatropha
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  • Female flowers usually subtended by accrescent bracts
  • Styles laciniate with filiform segments, often red
  • Anthers vermiform
Acalypha
b
  • Female flowers not subtended by accrescent bracts
  • Styles not laciniate
  • Anthers vermiform
002
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  • Styles 2
  • Ovary 2-locular
002
b
  • Styles 3(4)
  • Ovary usually 3-locular
002
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  • Flowers in terminal racemes
Leidesia
b
  • Flowers in terminal or axillary fascicles or cymules
Seidelia
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  • Sepals 4-6, membranous, imbricate
  • Stamens 2-6 in middle of flower
Phyllanthus
b
  • Sepals 3 or 4, valvate
  • Stamens 3-30, usually intermingled with small glands
Micrococca
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  • Leaves opposite or whorled
002
b
  • Leaves mostly alternate, often much reduced to absent in succulents
002
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  • Leaves in whorls of 4, leathery, glabrous
Hyaenanche
b
  • Leaves opposite
002
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  • Leaves glabrous
  • Latex milky
  • Stipules minute or 0
Excoecaria
b
  • Leaves white-silky below
  • Latex absent
  • Stipules large, sheathing
Androstachys
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  • Apparent flower (cyathium) a ± cup-shaped structure with glands around its rim enclosing several stamens (reduced male flowers) and a central reduced female flower
002
b
  • Flowers male or female, not borne in cyathia
002
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  • Cyathium with (2,3) 4 or 5 (6-8) separate glands
Euphorbia
b
  • Cyathium with a continuous, occasionally 2-5-notched glandular ring
Synadenium
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  • Leaves palmately lobed to compound
002
b
  • Leaves not compound nor deeply palmately lobed
002
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  • Leaves palmately compound with 5-7 petiolate leaflets, sparingly stellate above
Schinziophyton
b
  • Leaves palmately 5-11-lobed to -partite, without stellate hairs
002
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  • Leaves peltate
  • Inflorescences unisexual
* Ricinus
b
  • Leaves attached at base
  • Inflorescences bisexual
* Manihot
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  • Petals present, at least in male flowers
002
b
  • Petals absent
002
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  • Indumentum stellate or lepidote
002
b
  • Indumentum simple or 0
002
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  • Indumentum usually densely stellate or lepidote
  • Fruit a globose capsule
Croton
b
  • Indumentum silver to ferruginous-silver
  • Fruit very large, indehiscent
* Aleurites
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  • Flowers in axillary fascicles
002
b
  • Flowers in spicate, racemose, paniculate, thyrsiform or cymose inflorescences
002
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  • Male disc of separate glands
  • Stamens connate into a tube
Clutia
b
  • Male disc annular or cupular
  • Stamens free or basally connate
002
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  • Male calyx lobes valvate
Bridelia
b
  • Male calyx lobes imbricate
002
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  • Male flowers with 3 sepals
  • Ovary 0
Heywoodia
b
  • Male flowers with 5 sepals
  • Ovary rudimentary
002
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  • Male disc annular, villous
Lachnostylis
b
  • Male disc saucer-shaped, glabrous
Andrachne
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  • Flowers panicled or in 2- or 3-branched, fasciculate cymes, the female flowers surrounded by male ones
Jatropha
b
  • Flowers spicate or racemose
002
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  • Male calyx lobes imbricate
Jatropha
b
  • Male calyx lobes valvate
002
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  • Fruit large, up to 50 mm in diameter, tardily dehiscent
* Vernicia
b
  • Fruit up to 30 mm in diameter, dehiscent
002
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  • Inflorescences terminal
  • Pistillode present
Cavacoa
b
  • Inflorescences axillary
  • Pistillode 0
Cleistanthus
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  • Female flowers usually subtended by accrescent bracts
  • Style laciniate with filiform segments, often red
  • Anthers vermiform
Acalypha
b
  • Female flowers, style and anthers not as above
002
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  • Sepals of male flowers open in bud (exposing anthers)
  • Typically with milky latex
002
b
  • Sepals of male flower closed in bud
  • Latex mostly absent, if present, watery to reddish to milky
002
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  • Spikes of male flowers dense, ovoid or globose
  • Seeds caruncled
Maprounea
b
  • Spikes of male flowers narrow, elongate
  • Seeds caruncled or not
002
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  • Male sepals 1 or 2, if 2 then vertical and flowers appearing compressed
  • Stamens 5-50
* Homalanthus
b
  • Male sepals 2-5
  • Stamens 2 or 3(-8)
002
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  • Inflorescence lateral
  • Capsule large, inflated
Excoecaria
b
  • Inflorescence a terminal spike
  • Capsule not more than 20 mm in diameter
002
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  • Inflorescence a lax spike
  • Caruncle, if present, remaining attached to seed
Sapium
b
  • Inflorescence a dense spike, subcylindric
  • Caruncle attached to the columella, separated from the seed
Spirostachys
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  • Female calyx lobes pinnatifid
Cephalocroton
b
  • Female calyx lobes entire or ± obsolete
002
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  • Sepals of male flowers valvate in bud
002
b
  • Sepals of male flowers imbricate in bud
002
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  • Bud scales coriaceous, persistent
Erythrococca
b
  • Buds naked
002
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  • Stamens 2-4
  • Leaves with 3 or 4 prominent veins from base
Macaranga
b
  • Stamens ± 8
  • Leaves penninerved
Alchornea
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  • Fruit flattened, winged
Hymenocardia
b
  • Fruit not markedly winged
002
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  • Fruit indehiscent, drupaceous, usually 1-seeded by abortion
002
b
  • Fruit dehiscent, sometime tardily so, mostly with more than 1 seed
002
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  • Flowers in axillary fascicles
  • Drupe ± globose
Drypetes
b
  • Flowers in spikes or racemes, often catkin-like
  • Drupe compressed
Antidesma
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  • Flowers in leaf-opposed cymose glomerules
  • Ovule 1 per locule
Suregada
b
  • Flowers in axillary inflorescences
  • Ovules 2 per locule
002
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  • Pistillode absent in male flowers
002
b
  • Pistillode present in male flowers
002
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  • Male disc annular
Margaritaria
b
  • Male disc usually composed of ± separate glands
Phyllanthus
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  • Male disc composed of 5 separate glands
Flueggea
b
  • Male disc annular
Pseudolachnostylis

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