Tragia nepetifolia |
Tragia |
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catnip noseburn |
noseburn |
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Habit | Subshrubs, 1.5–5 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 | erect to trailing, green to reddish green, apex never flexuous. |
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Leaves | petiole 3–25(–41) mm; blade triangular to ovate [linear], proximal broadly ovate to sometimes suborbiculate, 1.8–5 × 0.9–3.6 cm, often red-green, base truncate to cordate, margins coarsely dentate to coarsely serrate, 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]. |
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Inflorescences | terminal (often appearing leaf opposed), glands sessile or absent, staminate flowers 8–40 per raceme, distally clustered [evenly distributed]; staminate bracts 1.3–1.6 mm. |
bisexual (pistillate flowers proximal, staminate distal) [unisexual], axillary, terminal, or leaf-opposed, racemes [rarely with single pistillate branch]; glands subtending each bract 0. |
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Pedicels | staminate 1.4–1.7 mm, persistent base 0.5–0.7 mm; pistillate 2.9–3.3 mm in fruit. |
present, staminate with persistent base, pistillate elongated in fruit. |
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Staminate flowers | sepals 3–4, reddish green, 1–2 mm; stamens 3–4, 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]. |
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Pistillate flowers | sepals lanceolate [ovate], 1.4–2.3 mm; styles connate 1/4–1/3 length; stigmas papillate. |
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. |
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Fruits | capsules, usually 3 carpels maturing, except often 1 maturing in T. brevispica. |
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Capsules | 6–8 mm wide. |
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Seeds | brownish black, 3–4 mm. |
globose to ovoid; caruncle absent. |
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Tragia nepetifolia |
Tragia |
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Phenology | Flowering late spring; fruiting late summer–fall. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Pine-oak woodlands. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 1500–2500 m. (4900–8200 ft.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CO; NM; Mexico; Central America
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United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Asia; Africa; Australia; primarily tropical and subtropical regions |
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Discussion | Tragia nepetifolia is typically found at high elevations in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Since it was described more than 200 years ago, many collections of Tragia in Mexico and the United States have been identified mistakenly as this species. Tragia nepetifolia includes four varieties in Mexico, but none match plants occurring in the United States. These most closely resemble var. dissecta Müller Arg. of western Mexico, sharing inflorescences with distally clustered staminate flowers and a tendency toward reddish coloration, but differing in that their leaf blades are not as deeply toothed. (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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 188. | FNA vol. 12, p. 184. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Tragia | Euphorbiaceae | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Name authority | Cavanilles: Icon. 6: 37, plate 557, fig. 1. (1800) — (as nepetaefolia) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 980. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 421. (1754) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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