EUPHORBIACEA
E
eurosids I
rosids
magnoliids
monocots
core eudicots
eudicots
Chamaesyce local euphorb
EUPHORBIACEAE,
Malpighiales
Cymothoë likes Malpighiales, its allies are
all Rosid specialists and mostly eurosids I
specialists.
Achariaceae
CARYOCARACEAE – prominent trees in the tropics
Ctenolophonaceae
EUPHORBIACEAE – GENTRY FAMILY
Goupiaceae
Humiriaceae
Irvingiaceae
Ixonanthaceae
Lacistemataceae
LINACEAE – flax family
Lophopixidaceae
Pandaceae
PHYLLANTHACEAE – formerly part of Euphorbiaceae
Picrodendraceae
Putranjivaceae
RAFFLESIACEAE- parasites including largest flower
SALICACEAE – GENTRY FAMILY
VIOLACEAE-violets and tropical treelets
EUPHORBIACEAE (MALPIGHIALES, EUROSIDS I)
NUMBERS: 275 Genera, 7500 species, (2300 spp in Euphorbia, 1300 in Croton)
GEOGRAPHY: cosmopolitan and tropical
HABITAT: most diverse in tropical (lowland) forests; diverse in drier forests and deserts
ROSID CHARACTERS: petals separate, androecium diplostemonous
CHARACTERS DIAGNOSTIC OF FAMILY:
Latex present in many members, white or clear
Habit mostly woody, many trees and succulents
Leaves mostly simple, alternate; paired basal glands and long petioles common
Flowers small, imperfect, plants mostly monoecious
Perianth usually reduced
Androecium: stamens equal to or fewer than the perianth parts
Gynoecium: often three-carpellate, superior, styles separate and branched
Fruit a schizocarp with one large arillate seed per locule (two seeds lacking arils per
locule in Phyllanthus etc., segregated as Phyllanthaceae by APG)
Key Characters for the Euphorbiaceae
Alternate simple leaves
Petioles long and variable in length
Latex
Imperfect Flowers, monoecious plants
Three-lobed schizocarps
EUPHORBIACEAE understory and canopy trees
Croton - a classic euphorb:
-strong basal veins
-milky latex
-glands at blade base
-imperfect flowers, reduced
perianth
-three-carpellate schizocarp
Rothschildia is a Croton specialist.
Acalypha -
Acalypha diversifolia
Hevea - the rubber tree
Jatropha physicnut
Jatropha - fruits
Ricinus - the castorbean
The fabled manchineel,
Hippomane mancinella
A diterpene ester from
the manchiineel
Manihot cassava (tapioca)
Aleurites --- showing
long petioles of
different lengths
Hura crepitans
Delachampia
-
Euphorbia - the spurges
PHYLLANTHACEAE Martynov 56/1725. Phyllanthus (600 - many segregate genera) and numerous other obscure
genera
• Phyllanthaceae have a variety of growth forms, but can be recognised
by their often finely-cracking bark, absence of latex, often 2-ranked and pinnatelyveined leaves lacking glands, and explosively dehiscent fruit that have a persistent
columella; there are two ovules in each carpel.