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branch noseburn, branch or desert or common noseburn, desert noseburn, desert tragia

Small's noseburn

Habit Subshrubs, 1.2–5 dm. Herbs or subshrubs, 1.2–2.5 dm.
Stems

erect to trailing, dark green to light green, apex rarely flexuous.

erect, purple-green, apex never flexuous.

Leaves

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.

petiole 1–4 mm;

blade orbiculate to elliptic, 2–5 × 0.8–3 cm, base acute, margins serrate to crenate, apex acute to blunt.

Inflorescences

terminal (often appearing leaf opposed), glands few, sessile, staminate flowers 2–20 per raceme; staminate bracts 1.5–2 mm.

terminal (often appearing leaf opposed), glands absent, staminate flowers 4–11 per raceme; staminate bracts 0.8–1.2 mm.

Pedicels

staminate 0.7–2 mm, persistent base 0.4–1.5 mm; pistillate 2–2.5 mm in fruit.

staminate 1.5–1.9 mm, persistent base 0.4–0.6 mm; pistillate 2.8–3.4 mm in fruit.

Staminate flowers

sepals 3–4, green, 1–2.2 mm;

stamens 3–6(–10), filaments 0.3–1 mm.

sepals 4–5, green, 0.9–1.5 mm;

stamens 2, filaments 0.2–0.5 mm.

Pistillate flowers

sepals lanceolate, 0.8–2.5 mm;

styles connate 1/3–1/2 length, long-exserted;

stigmas smooth to undulate.

sepals lanceolate, 1.3–2.3 mm;

styles connate 1/4 length;

stigmas undulate.

Capsules

6–8 mm wide.

9–13 mm wide.

Seeds

dark brown, 2.5–3.5 mm.

dark brown with light brown streaks, 4–4.5 mm.

2n

= 44.

= 44.

Tragia ramosa

Tragia smallii

Phenology Flowering spring–fall; fruiting late spring–fall. Flowering late spring–summer; fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Mesquite, desert scrub, pine-juniper, oak woodlands. Dry, sandy oak-pine forests, prairies, disturbed grasslands.
Elevation 200–2800 m. (700–9200 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CO; KS; MO; NE; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Plants of Tragia smallii are easily distinguished from those of most Tragia species by the combination of orbiculate to elliptic leaf blades, two stamens, and relatively large seeds. K. I. Miller and G. L. Webster (1967) placed it and T. urens, which also has two stamens, in sect. Leptobotrys.

Tragia smallii is found on the Gulf Coastal Plain from eastern most Texas to peninsular Florida.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 189. FNA vol. 12, p. 190.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Tragia Euphorbiaceae > Tragia
Sibling taxa
T. amblyodonta, T. betonicifolia, T. brevispica, T. cordata, T. glanduligera, T. jonesii, T. laciniata, T. leptophylla, T. nepetifolia, T. nigricans, T. saxicola, T. smallii, T. urens, T. urticifolia
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. urens, T. urticifolia
Synonyms T. angustifolia, T. nepetifolia var. angustifolia, T. nepetifolia var. ramosa, T. ramosa var. latifolia, T. stylaris, T. stylaris var. angustifolia, T. stylaris var. latifolia
Name authority Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 245. (1827) Shinners: Field & Lab. 24: 37. (1956)
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