Tragia ramosa
Tragia
branch noseburn, branch or desert or common noseburn, desert noseburn, desert tragia
noseburn
erect to trailing, dark green to light green, apex rarely flexuous.
petiole 2–20 mm;
blade linear-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1–4 × 0.5–2 cm, base truncate to weakly cordate, margins 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].
terminal (often appearing leaf opposed), glands few, sessile, staminate flowers 2–20 per raceme; staminate bracts 1.5–2 mm.
bisexual (pistillate flowers proximal, staminate distal) [unisexual], axillary, terminal, or leaf-opposed, racemes [rarely with single pistillate branch];
glands subtending each bract 0.
staminate 0.7–2 mm, persistent base 0.4–1.5 mm; pistillate 2–2.5 mm in fruit.
present, staminate with persistent base, pistillate elongated in fruit.
sepals 3–4, green, 1–2.2 mm;
stamens 3–6(–10), filaments 0.3–1 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].
sepals lanceolate, 0.8–2.5 mm;
styles connate 1/3–1/2 length, long-exserted;
stigmas smooth 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.
capsules, usually 3 carpels maturing, except often 1 maturing in T. brevispica.
6–8 mm wide.
dark brown, 2.5–3.5 mm.
globose to ovoid;
caruncle absent.
= 44.
Tragia ramosa
Tragia
Tragia ramosa is a variable species showing much environmental plasticity. Collections from the western United States and western Mexico have much broader leaves than those from Texas and Nuevo León, and were previously referred to as T. stylaris. Smooth stigmatic surfaces, three to six (rarely to ten) stamens, and narrow apical leaves are characters consistent with T. ramosa.
(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.)
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 |
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