Cephalocroton Hochst.

Genus

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae

Characteristics

Monoecious shrubs or subshrubs with a stellate indumentum. Leaves alternate or rarely subopposite or subverticillate, simple, entire or toothed, 3–5-nerved from the base, petiolate or subsessile, stipulate, the stipules laciniate (E. Africa) or entire. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, androgynous, protogynous, with the ♂ flowers in fascicles aggregated into a dense globular terminal head, and with (0–)1–6 ♀ flowers at the base, sweetly scented; bracts small to minute, entire or laciniate. Male flowers: calyx globose in bud, 3–4-lobed, the lobes valvate; petals 0; disc 0; stamens (4–)6–8(–10), uni-(not E. Africa) or biseriate, the filaments free, inflexed or not in bud, the anthers dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode entire or lobed. Female flowers: sepals 4–6, slightly imbricate, free or united at the base, entire, pinnatifid or bipinnatipartite, the segments gland-tipped or not, persistent, accrescent or not; disc annular, subentire; ovary 3-locular, with 1 ovule per locule; styles free or connate at the base, multifid-laciniate. Fruits 3-lobed, dehiscing septicidally into 3 bivalved cocci; endocarp woody. Seeds smooth, ovoid-subglobose, evenly greyish or marbled, ecarunculate, with a crustaceous testa and fleshy albumen; cotyledons broad, flat.
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Female flowers pedicellate, the pedicels extending in fruit; sepals 4–6, free or united (not Africa) at the base, pinnatifid, bipinnatipartite or entire (not Africa), the segments gland-tipped or not, persistent, accrescent or not (not Africa); petals absent; disk annular, subentire, ovary 3-locular, with 1 ovule per loculus; styles 3, free or connate, multifid.
Male flowers pedicellate; calyx closed in bud, globose, later splitting into 3–4 valvate lobes; petals absent; disk absent; stamens (4)6–8(10), biseriate (Africa) or uniseriate, filaments free, inflexed or not in bud, anthers oblong, dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode entire or 2–3-fid.
Inflorescences terminal, racemose, usually bisexual, with the male flowers aggregated into a dense globose terminal head, and with (0)1–7 female flowers at the base; bracts small or minute.
Seeds ovoid-subglobose, smooth, ecarunculate; testa crustaceous; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat.
Leaves alternate, petiolate or subsessile, stipulate, simple, entire or toothed, palminerved.
Fruits 3-lobed, dehiscing septicidally into 3 bivalved cocci; endocarp thinly woody.
Monoecious shrubs or subshrubs.
Indumentum stellate.
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Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
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Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

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Cultivation

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Distribution

Cephalocroton world distribution map, present in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, United Republic of, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:15168-1
WFO ID wfo-4000007250
COL ID 8VW3H
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 806926
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cephalocroton

Lower taxons

Cephalocroton incanus Cephalocroton mollis Cephalocroton cordofanus Cephalocroton polygynus