e-Key v3 - Tragia
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Euphorbiaceae - Acalyphoideae - Plukeneteae - Tragia L.

Description :

  • Herbs, twining; with stinging hairs; monoecious
  • Leaves alternate, petiolate, cordate, usually lobed
  • Inflorescence a raceme, terminal or leaf-opposed, with many male flowers above and 1 or 2 basal female flowers
  • Petals 0
  • Disc 0
  • Male flowers : calyx herbaceous, with 5 valvate lobes; stamens 2-5(-50) on hemispherical receptacle; filaments free; anthers linear, minutely apiculate; pistil 0
  • Female flowers : calyx 6-partite; segments pectinately lobulate on each side, setose; ovary 3-locular, with a single ovule in each locule, setose; styles 3, free or connate below, densely papillose
  • Fruit a 3-coccous capsule, with cocci 2-valved
  • Seeds globose, ecarunculate; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat
  • x = 12 (aneuploids, high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Tragia L.
    • Linnaeus: 980 (1753)
    • Prain: 502 (1920)
    • Radcliffe-Smith: 291 (1987)
    • Webster: 95 (1994)
    • Radcliffe-Smith: 216 (1996)
  • Ctenomeria Harv.
    • Harvey: 29 (1842)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 125, cosmopolitan in warm areas
  • Southern Africa : Species 14, widespread

References:

  • HARVEY, W.H. 1842. III. Description of several new genera of South African plants. Hooker's London Journal of Botany 1
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1753. Species plantarum , edn 1. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • PRAIN, D. 1920. Euphorbiaceae [in part]. Flora capensis 5, 2
  • RADCLIFFE-SMITH, A. 1987. Euphorbiaceae . Flora of tropical East Africa . Euphorbiaceae Part 1
  • RADCLIFFE-SMITH, A. 1996. Euphorbiaceae . Flora zambesiaca 9, 4
  • WEBSTER, G.L. 1994. Synopsis of the genera and suprageneric taxa of Euphorbiaceae . Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 81