Euphorbiaceae
Tragia

Tragia tenuifolia Benth.

First published in W.J.Hooker, Niger Fl.: 502 (1849)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to South Sudan and Zimbabwe. It is a climbing perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit
A weakly urticating climbing subshrub with sparingly puberulous stems, monoecious.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, subglabrous, ciliate.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles 1–7.5 cm long, sparingly puberulous and stinging-setose.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf blade 4–14 × 1–5 cm, elliptic-oblong to elliptic-oblanceolate, shortly acutely acuminate at the apex, subentire to shallowly and remotely denticulate on the margins, subtruncate to cordate at the base, membranaceous, 5–9-nerved from the base, sparingly pubescent and setose on the upper surface, and sparingly hirsute and setose along the midrib and main nerves beneath; lateral nerves in 4–6 pairs, slightly prominent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 2–3 cm long, with the peduncle 1.5–2.5 cm long, leaf-opposed, bisexual, densely flowered; male bracts 2 mm long, oblong, subglabrous; male bracteoles 1 mm long, subulate; female bracts 3 mm long, ovate; female bracteoles resembling the male bracts.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; buds obovoid-turbinate; calyx lobes 1 × 1 mm, broadly ovate-suborbicular, apiculate, subglabrous; stamens 0.5 mm long; pistillode trigonous, depressed-conic. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; calyx lobes 6, 2 mm long, accrescent to 5 mm long in fruit, spathulate, with 3 small linear subglabrous green lobules on each side, a terminal ovate foliaceous laminula, and a strap-shaped rhachis pubescent and greenish without, glabrous and stramineous within, becoming slightly hardened; ovary 2 mm in diameter, 3-lobed, uniformly densely pubescent, setose on the keels; styles 3, 2 mm long, connate to halfway, ± glabrous, stigmas shallowly rugulose, tightly coiled.
sex Male
Male flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; buds obovoid-turbinate; calyx lobes 1 × 1 mm, broadly ovate-suborbicular, apiculate, subglabrous; stamens 0.5 mm long; pistillode trigonous, depressed-conic.
sex Female
Female flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; calyx lobes 6, 2 mm long, accrescent to 5 mm long in fruit, spathulate, with 3 small linear subglabrous green lobules on each side, a terminal ovate foliaceous laminula, and a strap-shaped rhachis pubescent and greenish without, glabrous and stramineous within, becoming slightly hardened; ovary 2 mm in diameter, 3-lobed, uniformly densely pubescent, setose on the keels; styles 3, 2 mm long, connate to halfway, ± glabrous, stigmas shallowly rugulose, tightly coiled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 3–4 × 7–8 mm, 3-lobed, evenly pubescent, sparingly setose on the keels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 3 mm in diameter, globose, silvery-grey, streaked with beige and mottled chestnut-brown.
[FZ]

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit
A creeping or scandent, pubescent, hirsute, setose and urticating perennial herb up to 3 m. high when supported, otherwise shorter.
Morphology Leaves
Petiole (0.5–)1–5 cm. long, pubescent and hirsute; blade elliptic-ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 4–10(–12) cm. long, 2–5 cm. wide, shortly acutely acuminate, shallowly to moderately cordate, subentire to shallowly serrate or dentate, membranaceous, 7-nerved from the base, lateral nerves 3–5 pairs, evenly to sparingly setose above and beneath, more densely so along the midrib and main nerves, or occasionally subglabrous except along the midrib.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules erect, later reflexed, lanceolate, 5–6.5 mm. long, acute, setose without, ± glabrous within.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences leaf-opposed, lateral or ± axillary, 1.5–3 cm. long, fairly densely flowered, with a pubescent peduncle 1–1.5 cm. long; ♂ bracts oblanceolate, 2.5–3 mm. long, entire or subentire, sparingly pubescent; ♀ bracts deeply trilobate, 5 mm. long, otherwise ± as ♂; bracteoles 2, resembling ♂ bracts.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicels 1–2 mm. long; calyx-lobes 3, suborbicular to broadly ovate, ± 1 mm. long and wide, slightly cucullate, pubescent without, glabrous within, greenish; stamens 0.5 mm. long, filaments stout, anthers 0.3 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, yellow; pistillode minute, depressed-conic.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers:pedicel very short, stout; calyx-lobes 6, spathulate, 4 mm. long, extending to 9 mm. long in fruit, the rhachis pinnately lobulate, with 3–4 linear lobules on each side, and with an ovate-deltate foliaceous terminal laminula, pubescent without, puberulous within, and beset with white urticating bristles on the margins; ovary trilobate, ± 3 mm. diameter, evenly pubescent and sparingly beset with urticating bristles; styles 3, 3 mm. long, incurved, fused for one-third their length, pubescent in the lower third, otherwise glabrous, stigmatic surfaces rugulose. Male flowers:pedicels 1–2 mm. long; calyx-lobes 3, suborbicular to broadly ovate, ± 1 mm. long and wide, slightly cucullate, pubescent without, glabrous within, greenish; stamens 0.5 mm. long, filaments stout, anthers 0.3 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, yellow; pistillode minute, depressed-conic.
sex Female
Female flowers:pedicel very short, stout; calyx-lobes 6, spathulate, 4 mm. long, extending to 9 mm. long in fruit, the rhachis pinnately lobulate, with 3–4 linear lobules on each side, and with an ovate-deltate foliaceous terminal laminula, pubescent without, puberulous within, and beset with white urticating bristles on the margins; ovary trilobate, ± 3 mm. diameter, evenly pubescent and sparingly beset with urticating bristles; styles 3, 3 mm. long, incurved, fused for one-third their length, pubescent in the lower third, otherwise glabrous, stigmatic surfaces rugulose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit strongly trilobate, 5 mm. long, 9 mm. diameter, evenly pubescent, sparingly setose, dull green, mottled brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4 mm. diameter, dark reddish brown, mottled pale greyish or silvery.
Habitat
On forest edges, in clearings and undergrowth; 1190–1220 m.
Distribution
from Guinée and Sierra Leone eastwards to Sudan (Equatoria), Zaire (Orientale, Kivu) and south to Cabinda (Loango) and Zimbabwe U2 U4
[FTEA]

Euphorbiaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Stems twining
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers greenish, the female calyx-lobes with white stinging hairs.
[FWTA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0