Class: | angiosperms |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
Name acc. to: | APGII |
Herbar: | list records |
Description: | Morphological diverse family with unisexual flowers. Shrubs or herbs with latex. Flowers inconspicous but arranged in flowerlike inflorescences (cyathium: cup shaped involuce with inserted flowers resembling a single flower). Fused carpels in mongolian species 3, worldwide 2-5(20). |
Link to Flora of China: | http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2&name_str=euphorbiaceae |
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| genus: 2 |
| species: 16 |
Habit (i)general appearance of a plant | |
Parasite status: (i)Is the plant a half- or full parasite? | no parasite/saprophyte (i)Plant fully autonomous, leaves with chlorophyll example: Most plants, Ranunculus
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Water or terrestrial plant: (i)Where do the plants grow? | terrestrial (i)Plant grows on dry land example: Orostachys spinosa
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Leaf (i)expanded, usually photosynthetic organ of a plant (including phylloclades) | |
Leaf development: (i)Structure and development of leaves. | with green leaves (i)Plant with green leaves
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Leaf arrangement: (i)Arrangement of leaves at the stem. | opposite, opposite-decussate (i)Two leaves per node example: Lamiaceae, e.g. Phlomis alternate (i)One leaf per node; distiche: arranged in two vertical rows, equitant example: Phragmites
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Simple or divided leaves: (i)Are the leaves simple or completely divided in several parts? Blade of the leaf entire or (more or less) deeply dissected. Attention: There are various appearances of the leaf margin (from entire to toothed and lobed). Here, we ignore this and ask only for dissections that separate the leaf for more than one third of its length or width, whatever is smaller. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell apart compound leaves from a shoot system with simple leaves: look for stipulae and/or axillary buds at the ground of the leaves: if only some possess these structures, the others are most likely leaflets of a compound leaf. | simple (i)Non-divided leaf, but margin may be incised nearly to the ground
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Leaf margin: (i)Structure of leaf margin (or that of a leaflet in case of compound leaves). Attention: Here we ask for the leaf margin, defined as all those dissections that separate the leaf for less than one third of its length or width, whatever is smaller. To be worked out: how to handle margin of pinnate leaves? | entire (i)Plain margin, not toothed example: Iris
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Leaf colour upper side: (i)Shades of green on the leaf, upper side. | green (i)Clear green example: Tribulus terrestris
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Leaf colour lower side: (i)Shades of green on the leaf, lower side. | green (i)Clear green, in most species example: Angelica decurrens
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Leaf veination: (i)Arrangement of the main veins of a leaf. | pinnate (i)One main vein, several side veins, sometimes inconspicuous example: Cicerbita
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Flower (i)reproductive portion of the plant, consisting of sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils | |
Flower appearance and pollination: (i)General appearance of the flower. | not attractive, wind-pollinated or some water plants (i)Small, colourless or green flowers example: Betula, grasslike plants: Carex, Setaria, Juncus
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Flower colour: (i)Attention: assess colour of the most colourful parts of the flower, but not of the stamens; be aware of single plants with a mutation (mostly white) on flower colour. | greenish (i)petals absent or not distinctly different from colours of leaves, only stigmas (white) or anthers (yellow) may differ in color example: Chenopodium, Triglochin yellow to orange (i)Pale to golden yellow example: Ranunculus, Crepis
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Perianth arrangement: (i)Attention: in some plants, flowers may be dimorphic in different ways (dioecious or gynodioecious). If flowers vary, record the characters of the most showy flowers. | absent or strongly reduced (i)No perianth leaves ensheathing stamen and/or carpels example: Callitriche
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Petal / Tepal number: (i)Number of petal leaves (inner perianth leaves, usually coloured). | none or reduced (i)But green sepals may exist example: Thalictrum
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Spur: (i)A hollow, slender, sac-like appendage of the perianth leaves, storing nectar. | no spur (i)Flower without appendage example: Peganum
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Pistil number: (i)Number of pistils (female floral organs: style, if developed; stigma and carpels/ovary together build the pistil). | 3 (i)Three stigmas, usually in a triangle example: Stellaria, Euphorbia, Campanula, Allium
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Carpel fusion: (i)To which degree are the carpels (modified leaf forming simple pistil or part of a compound pistil) fused. | fused (i)Carpels united into an ovary, only styles are free example: Malus, Berberis
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Style number: (i)Portion of the pistil connecting the stigma to the ovary. | 3
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Ovary position: (i)For entirely or partly fused carpels, describe their position in relation to the insertion point of perianth leaves (best done by doing a longitudinal section of a flower). | superior (hypogynous) (i)Base of carpels attached above insertion point of perianth leaves, carpels free or fused example: Delphinium, Anemone
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Sex: (i)Distribution of male and female organs among flowers, only most commonly cases. | unisexual (i) example: Rhodiola
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Fruit (i)the seed bearing organ, with or without adnate parts; a ripened ovary and any other structures which are attached and ripen with it. Aggregate fruits are handled like simple fruits for determination. | |
Consistency: (i)Fleshy fruits or dry fruits, see dispersal adaptations for further classification. | dry (i)With a dry outer shell, no fleshy parts, but seed (embryo) could be edible
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Type of fruit: (i)Common fruit types (including pseudocarp). | Solitary fruits (i) capsule (i)Dry dehiscent fruit, releasing seeds by slits or holes. example: Poppy, most Caryophyllaceae, Cerastium, a lot of Scrophulariaceae, Iris (oppened capsule looks like Delphinium), Zygophyllum - it is a very common fruit type Dehiscent fruits (i)Fruits open along a longitudinale line (except silicula)
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Opening of fruit: (i)Mode of dehiscence at maturity to release seeds. | opening along dehiscent line (i)Opening along a preformed line example: Vicia, Lathyrus: pods opening / dehiscent (i)Dry? Fruits opening with different types
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Root / shoot below ground (i)plant part below ground (in most cases), including below ground shoots, without leaves | |
Root type: (i)Organisation of the roots. | allorhizous (i)Plant with a conspicuous tap root, one larger tap root with side roots example: Dicotyledonae inherited by order Malpighiales: allorhizous
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