Flora of North America species comparison

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Tragia brevispica

Tragia

short-spike noseburn

noseburn
Habit Herbs or vines, 2–12 dm. Herbs, subshrubs, or vines, perennial, monoecious [dioecious]; hairy, hairs unbranched, always some stinging (sometimes inconspicuous except on ovaries and capsules), sometimes glandular; latex absent.
Stems

decumbent, twining, or erect, light green, apex usually flexuous.

Leaves

petiole 6–38 mm;

blade triangular to cordate, 1.9–6 × 1.5–3.5 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins serrate to crenate, apex acute.

deciduous, alternate, simple (usually 3-foliolate in T. laciniata);

stipules present, persistent;

petiole present, glands absent;

blade usually unlobed, sometimes lobed basally (sometimes deeply 3-lobed in T. laciniata) [palmately lobed], margins serrate, crenate, dentate, or entire, laminar glands absent;

venation pinnate or palmate at base, pinnate distally [palmate].
Inflorescences

terminal (often appearing leaf-opposed), glands absent, staminate flowers 2–8[–10] per raceme;

staminate bracts 1–1.8 mm.

bisexual (pistillate flowers proximal, staminate distal) [unisexual], axillary, terminal, or leaf-opposed, racemes [rarely with single pistillate branch];

glands subtending each bract 0.
Pedicels

staminate 0.7–2 mm, persistent base 0.4–1.5 mm;

pistillate 2–4 mm in fruit.

present, staminate with persistent base, pistillate elongated in fruit.
Staminate flowers

sepals 3–4[–5], green, 1–1.5 mm;

stamens 3–4(–5), filaments 0.3–0.6 mm.

sepals 3–5, usually green, sometimes reddish green, not petaloid, valvate, distinct;

petals 0;

nectary absent [present];

stamens 2–6(–10)[–25], distinct or connate basally (connate 1/2 length in T. nigricans);

pistillode present [absent].
Pistillate flowers

sepals ovate, 1.3–3.5 mm;

styles connate 1/3 length;

stigmas subpapillate to undulate.

sepals 6, usually green, sometimes reddish green, not petaloid, connate basally;

petals 0;

nectary absent;

pistil 3-carpellate;

styles 3, connate basally to 1/2 [most of] length, unbranched.
Fruits

capsules, usually 3 carpels maturing, except often 1 maturing in T. brevispica.
Capsules

6.5–7 mm wide, often 1 carpel maturing.

Seeds

dark brown, 2.5–3.8 mm.

globose to ovoid;

caruncle absent.
2n

= 44.

Tragia brevispica

Tragia
Phenology Flowering spring–fall; fruiting late summer–fall.
Habitat Open forests, scrublands, disturbed roadsides, open fields, often on loam and clay soils.
Elevation 10–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; OK; TX; Mexico (Nuevo León)
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Asia; Africa; Australia; primarily tropical and subtropical regions
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The leaves of Tragia brevispica are highly variable and frequently resemble those of T. ramosa, which differs in having smooth stigmas and leaf blades much longer than wide. The presence of 1-carpellate fruit in T. brevispica is unique in Tragia in the flora area.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species ca. 175 (15 in the flora).

Tragia is a taxonomically difficult genus that is characterized by stinging hairs. Although many species of Tragia are twining vines, most species in the flora area are subshrubs or herbs. Some species are used medicinally for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, vermifugic, and antihyperglycemic properties. Two sections are represented in the flora area: Tragia and Leptobotrys (Baillon) Müller Arg. Molecular phylogenetic analysis (W. M. Cardinal-McTeague and L. J. Gillespie, unpubl.) suggests that Tragia is polyphyletic and that sect. Leptobotrys (T. smallii, T. urens) should be segregated as a distinct genus; these results are supported by pollen morphology (L. J. Gillespie 1994). Tragia volubilis Linnaeus was collected from Florida once (1842–1848, F. Rugel, US), but has not been collected there since and is presumed extirpated in the flora area. This species is widespread in the Caribbean and Latin America.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Inflorescence glands stipitate.
→ 2
2. Fruiting pedicels 3–7 mm; leaf blades narrowly ovate to lanceolate, bases shallowly cordate to truncate; persistent base of staminate pedicels 0.3–0.7 mm; stigmas smooth to undulate; Texas.
T. glanduligera
2. Fruiting pedicels 7–11 mm; leaf blades ovate to triangular-ovate, bases deeply cordate; persistent base of staminate pedicels 1.8–2 mm; stigmas undulate to subpapillate; Arizona.
T. jonesii
1. Inflorescence glands absent or sessile (T. nepetifolia and T. ramosa).
→ 3
3. Capsules 11–13 mm wide; leaf blades 4.5–10(–13) cm, base cordate; petioles 15–85 mm; stamens 3.
T. cordata
3. Capsules 4–11 mm wide (9–13 mm in T. smallii); leaf blades 1–8(–10) cm, base acute, obtuse, subcuneate, cuneate, truncate, subcordate, cordate, subhastate, or hastate; petioles 0–38(–41) mm; stamens 2–6(–10).
→ 4
4. Stamens 2.
→ 5
5. Leaf blades orbiculate to elliptic, margins serrate to crenate.
T. smallii
5. Leaf blades usually oblanceolate to linear, sometimes elliptic, margins entire or irregularly sinuate.
T. urens
4. Stamens 3–6(–10).
→ 6
6. Leaves usually 3-foliolate, sometimes 3-lobed nearly to base.
T. laciniata
6. Leaves simple, usually unlobed, sometimes lobed basally.
→ 7
7. Stems purple-green to reddish black or brownish red to maroon-green; staminate flowers 2–5 per raceme.
→ 8
8. Leaf blades acicular to narrowly oblong, 1–6 cm, margins usually entire, sometimes serrulate, petioles 0.5–2 mm; stamens connate basally; capsules 4–5 mm wide.
T. leptophylla
8. Leaf blades oblong to oblanceolate, 3–7 cm, margins coarsely serrate, petioles 1–5 mm; stamens connate 1/2 length; capsules 6–7 mm wide.
T. nigricans
7. Stems green, whitish green, reddish green, dark green, or gray-green; staminate flowers 2–80 per raceme.
→ 9
9. Stigmas papillate.
→ 10
10. Leaf blade margins coarsely dentate to coarsely serrate; staminate sepals reddish green; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico.
T. nepetifolia
10. Leaf blade margins serrate; staminate sepals green, sometimes red-tinged; c, e United States.
→ 11
11. Staminate flowers 15–80 per raceme, distally clustered; persistent base of staminate pedicel 0.3–0.6 mm, shorter than subtending bract; pistillate sepals 1.8–5 mm.
T. betonicifolia
11. Staminate flowers 11–40 per raceme, evenly distributed; persistent base of staminate pedicel 1–1.8 mm, longer than subtending bract; pistillate sepals 1.3–2.3 mm.
T. urticifolia
9. Stigmas smooth, undulate, or subpapillate.
→ 12
12. Leaf blades suborbiculate to ovate; Florida.
T. saxicola
12. Leaf blades linear-lanceolate, lanceolate, ovate, triangular, subhastate or cordate; sc, sw United States.
→ 13
13. Staminate flowers 2–8 per racemes; capsules with often 1 carpel maturing; stems decumbent, twining, or erect, apices usually flexuous.
T. brevispica
13. Staminate flowers 2–20 per raceme; capsules with usually 3 carpels maturing; stems erect to trailing, apices flexuous or not.
→ 14
14. Leaf blades usually triangular to subhastate, sometimes ovate, base cordate, hastate, or truncate; stems gray-green, apices often flexuous; stigmas undulate to subpapillate; styles connate to 1/3 length, short-exserted; stamens 3–4.
T. amblyodonta
14. Leaf blades linear-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, base truncate to weakly cordate; stems dark green to light green, apices rarely flexuous; stigmas smooth to undulate; styles connate 1/3–1/2 length, long-exserted; stamens 3–6(–10).
T. ramosa
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 186. FNA vol. 12, p. 184. Author: Roberto J. Urtecho.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Tragia Euphorbiaceae
Sibling taxa
T. amblyodonta, T. betonicifolia, T. cordata, T. glanduligera, T. jonesii, T. laciniata, T. leptophylla, T. nepetifolia, T. nigricans, T. ramosa, T. saxicola, T. smallii, T. urens, T. urticifolia
Subordinate taxa
T. amblyodonta, T. betonicifolia, T. brevispica, T. cordata, T. glanduligera, T. jonesii, T. laciniata, T. leptophylla, T. nepetifolia, T. nigricans, T. ramosa, T. saxicola, T. smallii, T. urens, T. urticifolia
Synonyms T. nepetifolia var. scutellariifolia, T. nepetifolia var. teucriifolia, T. scutellariifolia, T. teucriifolia
Name authority Engelmann & A. Gray: Boston J. Nat. Hist. 5: 262. (1845) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 980. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 421. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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