Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 77 EUPHORBIACEAE 83
Webster & Burch, 1968:345.
Euphorbia hyssopifoh Linnaeus, 1759a: 1043.
Herb, erect to 6 dm; glabrous or sparsely pilose; leaf-blade
often sparsely pilose when young, serrate, oblong-lanceolate or
ovate-elliptic, to 3.5 cm long: seeds with 2-4 lateral ridges on
each face, black.
Neotropics and adventive in Old World; a roadside weed in
Dominica in moist or dry coastal areas to 50 m: Calibishie
(Hodge 3136), Castle Bruce Road (Ernst I35I), Coulibistri
(Ernst 1409, 1410, Wilbur 8341), Grand Savanne (Wilbur
7644), Hatton Garden (Hodge 3039), Hungry Hill (Whitefoord
4473, Melville Hall (Nicolson ZOOS), Salybia (Hodge 3300).
Chamaesyce prostrata
Charnaesyce prostrata (Aiton) Small, 1903:713.-Burch. 1966b:93.
Euphorbia prmtrata Aiton, 1789,2139.
Prostrate herb; branches to 20 cm long, pubescent in lines or
glabrate; leaf-blade oblong-ovate, 4-7 mm long, serrate; ovary
& capsule pubescent only on angles; seeds with deep transverse
furrows.
Neotropics and adventive in Old World; in Dominica a lawn
weed Clarke Hall (Ernst 1753, Roseau (Hodge 393).
Adjanohoun et al. (198599, pl. 66) reported (as Euphorbia
prostrata) medicinal uses.
Chamaesyce thymifolia
Chamaesyce thymifoIia (Linnaeus) Millspaugh, 1916:412.-Burch, 1966b393;
in Webster & Burch. 1968:341.
Euphorbia thymifoIia Linnaeus, 1753:454.
Prostrate annual herb; stems pubescent above and naked
below; leaf-blade oblong-elliptic, to 1 cm, usually glabrous
above and sparsely tomentose below, serrate; capsule strigose;
seed tan, strongly 4-angled, the faces concave and obscurely
transversely ridged.
Neotropics; in Dominica a weed in disturbed, often dry areas
to 400 m: Cabrit swamp (Whitefoord 5279), Coulibistri (Ernst
1399), Wilbur 8335), Grand Savanne (Wilbur 7643), Hatton
Garden (Hodge 3061), Point Michel (Gillis 8133), Portsmouth
(Hodge 566), Ridgefield (Hodge 21 72), Roseau (Hodge 561),
Scotts Head (Ernst 1337).
Ed. Note: I understand that F.R. Fosberg calls this species
Euphorbia rubricundu Blume. Wheeler (1941:252) did not
designate a type (“Qpe: (?)”), noted that Asa Gray had
identified material in the Linnaean Herbarium as what Wheeler
called E. supinu, and maintained E. thymifolia in sense of
Burman material that Linnaeus probably never saw. Burch
(1966a: 164) confirmed that the Linnaean specimens, 630-10
and 630-11, are prostrate E. muculutu. Bmh noted that the
Linnaean citation [unnamed var. beta], “Burm. zeyl. 225, t.
105, f.3,” included a synonym, “Chamaesyce, Sloane Cat. 83,”
which ties to a Sloane specimen that “is cited by Fawcett &
Rendle.. . even though Sloane’s plant was probably not seen by
Linnaeus (Steam, 1957).” Dr. C.E. Jarvis (letter of 17 Jull989)
said “Syntypes appear to be [l] 630.10 LINN, [2] 2 specimens
in Herb. Hennann, no. 198, vol. 1:74 (BM), and [3] the cited
Plukenet illustration (with apparently no voucher in Herb.
Sloane).” No. 1 (LINN) is Euphorbia muculata Linnaeus
according to Burch. No. 2 (Hermann) is E. hypericifolia,
according to A.T. Gage (in notula, BM). No. 3 (Plukenet) has
not been identified so far as Dr. Jarvis (in litt.) knows. Howard
(1989,5:30) noted ‘‘W: Unresolved.”
Cnidoscolus Pohl
Cnidoscolus wens
Cnidoscolur wens (Linnaeus) Arthur. 1921: 11 .-Webster in Webster & Burch,
1968:244.
Jatropha wens Linnaeus, 1753:1007.
Herb or shrub to 1.5 m; vegetative parts with stinging,
acicular hairs to 6 mm long; leaf-blade palmately 3-5-lobed, to
17 cm x 27 cm; perianth lobes white; capsule pubescent with
stinging hairs, 10-12 mm long.
Neotropics; in Dominica in forest: Grand Bay (Eggers 853).
Croton Linnaeus
Croton astroites Dryander was reported for Dominica by
Howard (1989,536). It is similar to C.Javens but lacks glands
at the petiole to leaf-base juncture. Some Dominican material
(Hodge 555) was distributed as C. astroites but is C. bixoides.
Croton betulinus Vahl, attributed to Dominica by VClez
(195799) on the authority of Britton, has not been documented.
1. Trichomes lepidote (scale-like) . . . . . . . . C. bixoides
1. Trichomes hair-like or stellate.
2. Leaves deeply 3-5-lobed . . . . . . . . . . C. lobatus
2. Leaves unlobed.
3. Leaves entire or denticulate . . . . . . . . C.flavens
3. Leaves coarsely toothed.
4. Shrub or tree; stamens 15-18 . . . C. corylifolius
4. Annual herbs: stamens 10-11 . . . . . . C. hirtus
Croton bixoides
Croton bixoides Vahl in Geiseler, 180753.
Croton helicoides J. Mueller, 1865:97.-J. Mueller in A.P. Candolle, 1866,
15(2):552.
Croton niveus sensu auctt. (as to Imray specimens), non Jacquin.4risebach.
1859:40.-Hodge, 1954:23.
Croton astroites sensu Hodge (as to Hedge 559, 1954:23, non Dryander.
Lepidote shrub or tree to 4 m; leaf-blades ovate or
lance-ovate, k entire, acuminate, f cordate and eglandular at
base, to 8 cm long, greenish above and silvery beneath; stipules