Family: Euphorbiaceae |
See references Plants herbs or subshrubs, usually perennial, often scrambling or twining, less often erect, monoecious, pubescent; hairs simple, sometimes stinging. Leaves alternate, petiolate, stipulate; stipules glandular; blades simple, palmately-veined, 3–5-lobed or with 3–5 leaflets. Inflorescences pedunculate, flowers subtended by 2, often conspicuous, bracts, male inflorescences composed of stalked clusters of 5 male cymes surrounded by involucres of 4 fused or free bracts and subtended by a subsessile cluster of 1-5 female flowers and a mass of fused bracts or sterile flowers. Male flowers: calyces 4-6-lobed; stamens (7-)9-30(-90); femals flowers: sepals 5-12, pinnatified and hairy; styles united in a column, often with enlarged and hollowed tips. Capsules 3-lobed, dehiscing into 3 bivalved segments, endocarp crustaceous or woody, columella persistent; seeds globose, without caruncles. Dalechampia includes about 122 species. It is native to tropical regions throughout the world but most species are native to the Americas. Somaliland and Somalia have 3 species. Key to the species and varieties of Dalechampia in Somaliland and Somalia. The description above draws on both Gilbert (1993) and Radcliffe (1996). The key is from Golbert (1993). There are some beautiful images on the POWO site. (Details on all three references are on the Reference page). Gilbert, M.G. (1993) Dalechampia in Flora of Somalia 1: 289-290. Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Richmond, Surrey, UK; reproduced with permission. POWO (2022). Dalechampia on Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ Retrieved 13 August 2022. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996) Euphorbiaceae, Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996, viewed on POWO (2022). Global distribution of Dalechampia. Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution. |