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 Candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana)
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For a detailed taxonomy to the genus level, see |
The Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) is a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Euphorbia is a Genus of Plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Some are succulent and resemble cacti. Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are Water -retaining Plants adapted to Arid climate or Soil conditions A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas
This family occurs mainly in the tropics, with the majority of the species in the Indo-Malayan region and tropical America a good second. The Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight Ecozones that cover the planet's land surface The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America There is a large variety in tropical Africa, but it is not as abundant or varied as in these two other tropical regions. However, Euphorbia also has many species in non-tropical areas such as the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, South Africa and southern USA. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
The leaves are alternate, seldom opposite, with stipules. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. In Botany, stipule ( Latin stipula: straw stalk is a term coined by Linnaeus They are mainly simple, but where compound, are always palmate, never pinnate. Stipules may be reduced to hairs, glands, or spines, or in succulent species are sometimes absent.
The radially symmetrical flowers are unisexual, with the male and the female flowers usually occurring on the same plant. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also As can be expected from such a large family, there is a wide variety in the structure of the flowers. They can be monoecious or dioecious. Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom The stamens (the male organs) can number from 1 to 10 (or even more). The stamen ( Plural stamina or stamens, from Latin stamen meaning "thread of the warp " is the male The female flowers are hypogynous, that is, with a superior ovary. In the Flowering plants an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or Gynoecium.
The genera in tribe Euphorbieae, subtribe Euphorbiinae (Euphorbia and close relatives) show a highly specialized form of pseudanthium ("false flower" made up of several true flowers) called a cyathium. Euphorbieae is a tribe of Plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises 3 Subtribes and 6 genera. Euphorbia is a Genus of Plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbia is a Genus of Plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. A pseudanthium (Greek false flower is a special type of Inflorescence, in which several Flowers are grouped together to form a flower-like structure The very special pseudanthia in the genus Euphorbia ( Euphorbiaceae) are known as Cyathia. This is usually a small cup-like involucre consisting of fused together bracts and peripheral nectary glands, surrounding a ring of male flowers, each a single stamen. The calybium and the cupule make up the Accessory fruit of Flowering plants in the family Fagaceae. The stamen ( Plural stamina or stamens, from Latin stamen meaning "thread of the warp " is the male In the middle of the cyathium stands a female flower: a single pistil with branched stigmas. A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman" is the Female reproductive part of a Flower. This whole arrangement resembles a single flower.
The fruit is usually a schizocarp, sometimes a drupe. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A schizocarp is a dry Fruit that develops from multiple Carpels When mature it splits up into one-seeded mericarps. In Botany, a drupe is a Fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( Exocarp, or skin and Mesocarp, or flesh surrounds a shell (the pit A typical schizocarp is the regma, a capsular fruit with three or more cells, each of which splits open at maturity into separate parts and then breaks away explosively, scattering the small seeds.
The family contains a large variety of phytotoxins (toxic substances produced by plants), mainly diterpene esters, alkaloids, glycosides, and ricin-type toxins. Literally meaning "plant poison" a phytotoxin can refer to any Toxin produced by a Plant. Esters are a class of Chemical compounds and Functional groups Esters consist of an inorganic or organic Acid in which at least This article is about the chemical compounds alkaloids For the Pharmaceutical company in the Republic of Macedonia see Alkaloid (company. Ricin (ˈraɪ sɨn is a Protein Toxin that is extracted from the castor bean ( Ricinus communis)
A milky sap or latex is a characteristic of the subfamilies Euphorbioideae and Crotonoideae. LaTeX (ˈleɪtɛ This milky sap is poisonous in the Euphorbioideae, innocuous in the Crotonoideae. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by White mangrove (Excoecaria agallocha), or Blind-Your-Eye Mangrove sap causes blistering on contact and temporary blindness if it contacts the eyes. Other common names are Milky Mangrove, Buta Buta (Malay), Gewa (Bangladesh). The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the The sap of spurge was used as a purgative. Euphorbia is a Genus of Plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Laxatives (or purgatives) are foods compounds or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool most often taken to treat Constipation.
Recent molecular studies have shown that the enigmatic family Rafflesiaceae, which was only recently recognized to belong to order Malpighiales, is derived from within Euphorbiaceae (Davis et al. Rafflesiaceae is a family of parasitic plants found in east and southeast Asia including Rafflesia arnoldii, the plant with the largest flower of all plants The Malpighiales are a large order of Flowering plants included in the group named Eurosids I in the recent APG classification 2007).
Uses
A number of plants of the Spurge family are of considerable economic importance. Prominent plants include Manioc, the Castor bean, and the Para rubber tree. The cassava, yuca, manioc, or mandioca ( Manihot esculenta) is a woody Shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family native The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a Plant Species of the Euphorbiaceae (the evolution of this plant family is relatively unexplored The Pará rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis) often simply called rubber tree, is a Tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae Many are grown as ornamental plants, such as Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common "Christmas Star" redirects here For the Christian tradition see Star of Bethlehem. Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an invasive weed in North America. Euphorbia esula aka The Green Spurge ( Leafy Spurge) is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe (north to England
References
- Charles C. Davis, Maribeth Latvis, Daniel L. Nickrent, Kenneth J. Wurdack, David A. Baum. 2007. Floral gigantism in Rafflesiaceae. Science Express, published online January 11, 2007 (online abstract here).
- International Euphorbia Society
- Data from GRIN Taxonomy
- Euphorbiaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com
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