Chamaesyce

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Chamaesyce
Starr 080531-4851 Chamaesyce hypericifolia.jpg
Euphorbia hypericifolia leaves and flowers
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Subgenus: Chamaesyce

Chamaesyce is a subgenus (formerly considered a genus) of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that Chamaesyce is deeply nested within the broader Euphorbia . [1] [2] Specifically, Chamaesyce is very closely related to plants like Euphorbia pulcherrima , the popular poinsettia (this and related plants have also been given in their own genus, Poinsettia, but are also well nested within Euphorbia). Currently, all species have now been reclassified as species of Euphorbia . Specifically, this group now belongs to Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce section Anisophyllum (which can be abbreviated Euphorbia sect. Anisophyllym). [1] [2] Taxonomically speaking, Chamaesyce is considered a synonym of Euphorbia.

Euphorbia sect. Anisophyllum is a large group with about 365 species. [1] Euphorbia sect. Anisophyllum differs from other Euphorbia species in a number of characteristics. Perhaps the most important is the presence of C4 photosynthesis in all but one subsection (subsection Acutae, which represents a basal clade that is made up of species with intermediate C2 photosynthetic pathways [3] ). [2] Other characteristics include sympodial branching, [4] dorsi-ventral stems, asymmetric leaves, non-glandular stipules, and ecarunculate seeds. [5]

Euphorbia albomarginata, the whitemargin sandmat, is a species with showy bracts, an adaptation to a semiarid region with competition for pollinators. Chamaesyce albomarginata 2.jpg
Euphorbia albomarginata, the whitemargin sandmat, is a species with showy bracts, an adaptation to a semiarid region with competition for pollinators.

Plants in the group (as with all other species in the genus Euphorbia) bear tiny flowering structures that look like single true flowers, as if each one were a flower with many stamens surrounding a single ovary. In fact, the structure is a cyathium (sometimes called a pseudanthium, meaning a "false flower"). It is made up of many small flowers, but with each flower reduced to only the functional organs of sexual reproduction: a single stamen or a single pistil without petals or sepals. Under magnification it can be seen that what appear to be many stamens plus the gynoecium of a single flower, actually form an inflorescence surrounded with many staminate flowers surrounding a single pistillate flower. Each individual staminate flower contributes only a single stamen and retaining no other structure apart from a vestigial stalk below the base of the stamen's filament. That stalk joins the capitulum or base of the inflorescence the flowering head. Similarly, what appears to be the flower's ovary is the gynoecium of a single pistillate flower that has lost all the other associated organs of a flower. What appear to be the petals of an individual flower are in fact appendages produced by glands that are produced by bracts (collectively called the involucre), adapted leaves attached below the cyathium. These bracts are fused into a cup-like structure. In some species, such as Euphorbia albomarginata, the glandular appendages are quite showy.

Cyathium of flowering Euphorbia celastroides Starr 041223-2238 Chamaesyce celastroides.jpg
Cyathium of flowering Euphorbia celastroides
Euphorbia hypericifolia flowers and young fruit Starr 050222-4138 Chamaesyce hypericifolia.jpg
Euphorbia hypericifolia flowers and young fruit

Related Research Articles

<i>Euphorbia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae, not just to members of the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamen</span> Male organ of a flower

The stamen is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gynoecium</span> Female organs of a flower

Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of pistils and is typically surrounded by the pollen-producing reproductive organs, the stamens, collectively called the androecium. The gynoecium is often referred to as the "female" portion of the flower, although rather than directly producing female gametes, the gynoecium produces megaspores, each of which develops into a female gametophyte which then produces egg cells.

<i>Euphorbia albomarginata</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia albomarginata, whitemargin sandmat or rattlesnake weed, is a small low-growing perennial, in the spurge family native to desert, chaparral, and grassland habitats of southwestern North America, from southern and central California to Northern Mexico and Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyathium</span> A form of inflorescence of the type found on the poinsettia

A cyathium is one of the specialised pseudanthia forming the inflorescence of plants in the genus Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae). A cyathium consists of:

<i>Acalypha rhomboidea</i> Species of flowering plant

Acalypha rhomboidea is a plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.

Pogonotium was a dioecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in Malaysia and Borneo. Its species are now included within the genus Calamus. Its close relatives are climbing rattans and while partially armed with climbing apparatus, its habit is sprawling and leaning but not effective climbing. The reduced inflorescence nestled between the auricles is unusual and distinguishes it from similar relatives like Calamus, Daemonorops and Ceratolobus. The name is Greek meaning "bearded".

Retispatha is a rare, monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family endemic to Borneo, where the sole species, Retispatha dumetosa, is known as wi tebu bruang or 'the bear's sugar cane'. The name combines Latin and Greek words meaning 'network' and 'spathe', and the species epithet means 'bushy'. While classified with other rattans, they retain only superficial climbing organs; they sprawl and lean but are not true climbers.

This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary of leaf morphology. For other related terms, see Glossary of phytopathology, Glossary of lichen terms, and List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphorbiaceae</span> Family of Eudicot flowering plants

Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as Euphorbia paralias, are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as Hevea brasiliensis. Some, such as Euphorbia canariensis, are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. This family has a cosmopolitan global distribution. The greatest diversity of species is in the tropics; however, the Euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas of all continents except Antarctica.

<i>Euphorbia fendleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia fendleri is a species of Euphorbia known by the common name Fendler's sandmat. It is native to much of the southwestern and central United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in scrub and woodland habitat in desert and plateau regions. This is a mat- or clump-forming reddish-green plant with a crooked, creeping, hairless stem. The leaves are rounded, oval, or spade-shaped, smooth along the edges and generally coming to a point, and not much more than one centimeter in maximum length. The tiny inflorescence is a cyathium with white-edged, scalloped appendages surrounding the actual flowers. There is a ring of 25 to 35 staminate flowers around one pistillate flower. The ovary of the pistillate flower enlarges into a lobed fruit about 2 millimeters long.

<i>Euphorbia micromera</i> Species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia micromera is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is known by the common name Sonoran sandmat. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas, and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy soils in desert and other dry habitat. It is an annual herb forming a small mat of slender stems. The hairy to hairless leaves are oblong in shape and just a few millimeters long. The tiny inflorescence is a cyathium less than a millimeter wide. It lacks the appendages that many similar species have in their cyathia. It has only a central female flower and 2 to 5 male flowers surrounded by round red nectar glands. The fruit is a minute round capsule.

<i>Euphorbia nutans</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia nutans is a species of Euphorbia known by the common names eyebane and nodding spurge. It is native to much of the United States, Eastern Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Venezuela.

<i>Euphorbia schizoloba</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia schizoloba is a species of euphorb known by the common name Mojave spurge. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert hills and mountains. It is a perennial herb producing upright stems up to 40 centimeters tall, sometimes with coats of sparse hairs. The stems are lined with alternately arranged leaves which are oval with pointed tips and measure up to 2 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a cyathium with bell-shaped bracts surrounding four tiny glands with flat, fringed appendages. At the center of this arrangement are several staminate flowers and one long pistillate flower.

Poranthereae is a tribe in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. It is one of ten tribes in the family, and one of four tribes in the subfamily Phyllanthoideae. Poranthereae comprises about 111 species, distributed into eight genera. The largest genera and the number of species in each are Actephila (31), Meineckia (30), and Andrachne (22).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floral formula</span> Notation representing flowers structure

A floral formula is a notation for representing the structure of particular types of flowers. Such notations use numbers, letters and various symbols to convey significant information in a compact form. They may represent the floral form of a particular species, or may be generalized to characterize higher taxa, usually giving ranges of numbers of organs. Floral formulae are one of the two ways of describing flower structure developed during the 19th century, the other being floral diagrams. The format of floral formulae differs according to the tastes of particular authors and periods, yet they tend to convey the same information.

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<i>Acalypha gracilens</i> Species of flowering plant

Acalypha gracilens is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Common names include slender threeseed mercury; three-seeded mercury; shortstalk copperleaf; slender copperleaf. It is native to the south-eastern United States.

<i>Euphorbia missurica</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia missurica, commonly called prairie sandmat, or Missouri spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found primarily in area of the Great Plains. Its natural habitat is in dry, often calcareous areas, including glades, bluffs, and open woodlands.

<i>Quercus <span style="font-style:normal;">subg.</span> Quercus</i> Subgenus of Oak trees

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 Yang, Ya; Berry, Paul E. (2011-09-01). "Phylogenetics of the Chamaesyce clade (Euphorbia, Euphorbiaceae): Reticulate evolution and long-distance dispersal in a prominent C4 lineage". American Journal of Botany. 98 (9): 1486–1503. doi:10.3732/ajb.1000496. hdl: 2027.42/142099 . ISSN   0002-9122. PMID   21875975.
  3. Sage, Tammy L.; Sage, Rowan F.; Vogan, Patrick J.; Rahman, Beshar; Johnson, Daniel C.; Oakley, Jason C.; Heckel, Marta A. (May 2011). "The occurrence of C(2) photosynthesis in Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae)". Journal of Experimental Botany. 62 (9): 3183–3195. doi: 10.1093/jxb/err059 . ISSN   1460-2431. PMID   21459765.
  4. George, Burch, Derek (1965). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae) in the Caribbean /".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Felger, Richard; Rutman, Sue; Taylor, Nathan (April 2015). "AJO PEAK TO TINAJAS ALTAS: A FLORA OF SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA Part 13. EUDICOTS: EUPHORBIACEAE, SPURGE FAMILY" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 2015–26: 1–65.