Euphorbiaceae
Chrozophora

Chrozophora plicata (Vahl) A.Juss. ex Spreng.

First published in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 850 (1826)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula to Indo-China, Jawa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
A prostrate or ascending, softly white stellate-pubescent bushy annual herb up to 0.5 m. high and 1.5 m. across.
Morphology General Indumentum
Stellate hairs stipitate or not.
Morphology Stem
Stems terete or rounded-trigonous.
Morphology Leaves
Petioles (0.5–)1.5–4(–5.5) cm. long; blade broadly ovate, ovate or ovate-rhombic, sometimes shallowly trilobate, 1.5–5 cm. long, 1–4(–4.5) cm. broad, obtuse or rounded, somewhat asymmetrically subcuneate, truncate or shallowly cordate, with 2 discoid or shallowly crateriform shining blackish-purple glands with inrolled minutely pubescent margins, at the base near the junction with the petiole, plicate-undulate when young, later ± flat and irregularly shallowly repand-dentate to subentire, thinly chartaceous, 3–5-nerved from the base, lateral nerves 2–3 pairs, tertiary nerve network arachnoid, not prominent above and only slightly so beneath, bullate above and correspondingly foveolate beneath when young, the bullae often overlapping incubously, later becoming ± plane.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules linear, 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 1.5–4 cm. long; bracts resembling the stipules.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicels 1 mm. long; calyx-lobes lanceolate, 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, stellate-pubescent without, glabrous within; petals elliptic-oblong, 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute or obtuse, lepidote without, glabrous within, pink; disc ± 1 mm. diameter; staminal column 4 mm. high, anthers 15, (2–)3-seriate, 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers:pedicels 3–7 mm. long, extending to 2.5–3 cm. in fruit; sepals linear-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, acute, stellate-pubescent without, minutely simply pubescent within; petals minute or 0; disc ± as in the ♂ flowers; ovary tridymous, 2 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 1.5–2 mm. long, deeply bifid, abaxially stellate-pubescent, adaxially coarsely papillose, red. Male flowers:pedicels 1 mm. long; calyx-lobes lanceolate, 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, stellate-pubescent without, glabrous within; petals elliptic-oblong, 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute or obtuse, lepidote without, glabrous within, pink; disc ± 1 mm. diameter; staminal column 4 mm. high, anthers 15, (2–)3-seriate, 1 mm. long.
sex Female
Female flowers:pedicels 3–7 mm. long, extending to 2.5–3 cm. in fruit; sepals linear-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, acute, stellate-pubescent without, minutely simply pubescent within; petals minute or 0; disc ± as in the ♂ flowers; ovary tridymous, 2 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 1.5–2 mm. long, deeply bifid, abaxially stellate-pubescent, adaxially coarsely papillose, red.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit strongly tridymous, 4–5 mm. long, 8–9 mm. diameter, densely stellate-pubescent, green at first, later becoming bluish or reddish purple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid-subglobose, apiculate, 3.5 mm. long, 3 mm. diameter, minutely tuberculate-rugulose or ± smooth, pale grey.
Figures
Fig. 28.
Habitat
Dry areas subject to flooding in rains, along rivers and drainage channels; 550–1150 m.
Distribution
K1 T1 T4 T5 T7
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
A prostrate, decumbent or ± erect, branched annual or perennial herb up to c. 50 cm high.
Morphology Stem
Stems yellowish or pinkish.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles 1–7 cm long.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf blades 1.5–7 × 1–5.5 cm, broadly ovate to rhombic-ovate, sometimes shallowly 3-lobed, obtuse or rounded at the apex, asymmetrically cuneate, truncate or shallowly cordate at the base, plicate-undulate at first, later ± flat and shallowly repand-dentate or ± entire on the margin, thinly chartaceous, with 2 discoid dark purple glands at the base, 3–5-nerved from the base; leaf upper surface at first incubously bullate, later ± flat; lateral nerves in 2–3 pairs, tertiary nerves arachnoid, scarcely prominent on both surfaces.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules 1–2 mm long, subulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 1.5–3.5 cm long; bracts resembling the stipules.
sex Male
Male flowers: pedicels c. 1 mm long; calyx lobes 3 × 1 mm, lanceolate, acute, stellate-pubescent without, glabrous within; petals 3 × 1 mm, elliptic-oblong, ± obtuse, lepidote without, glabrous within, yellowish-orange or pinkish; disk c. 1 mm in diameter; staminal column 4 mm high, anthers 15 in (2)3 series, 1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers: pedicels 3–7 mm long, extending to 1.5–2 cm in fruit; sepals 1.5–2 × 0.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, acute, stellate-pubescent without, simply puberulous within; petals minute or absent; disk more or less as in the male flowers; ovary 2 × 2 mm, 3-lobed, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 1.5–2 mm long, abaxially stellate-pubescent, adaxially coarsely-papillose, crimson. Male flowers: pedicels c. 1 mm long; calyx lobes 3 × 1 mm, lanceolate, acute, stellate-pubescent without, glabrous within; petals 3 × 1 mm, elliptic-oblong, ± obtuse, lepidote without, glabrous within, yellowish-orange or pinkish; disk c. 1 mm in diameter; staminal column 4 mm high, anthers 15 in (2)3 series, 1 mm long.
sex Female
Female flowers: pedicels 3–7 mm long, extending to 1.5–2 cm in fruit; sepals 1.5–2 × 0.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, acute, stellate-pubescent without, simply puberulous within; petals minute or absent; disk more or less as in the male flowers; ovary 2 × 2 mm, 3-lobed, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 1.5–2 mm long, abaxially stellate-pubescent, adaxially coarsely-papillose, crimson.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 4–5 × 7–9 mm, strongly 3-lobed, densely stellate-pubescent, green at first, later reddish- or bluish-purple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 3.5 × 3 mm, minutely tuberculate-rugulose or ± smooth; sarcotesta papery when dry, pale grey; sclerotesta dark brownish or blackish.
[FZ]

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

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images