- Family: Euphorbiaceae Juss.
- Genus: Hura L.
Hura crepitans L.
- Genus: Hura L.
This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical America.
Descriptions
According to Flora of Tropical East Africa
[FTEA]Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987
- Habit
- A much-branched tree up to 24 m. high, but more often 6–12 m. high, with a spreading crown.
- Bark
- Bark light grey, covered with sharp spines.
- Bole
- Bole up to 2 m. diameter.
- Twigs
- Twigs sparingly lenticellate.
- Shoots
- Young shoots glabrous or sparingly pubescent.
- Leaves
- Petioles up to 15 cm. long, glabrous; glands turbinate, truncate; leaf-blades broadly ovate to orbicular-ovate, (5–)10–15(–18) cm. long, (3–)6–12 cm. wide, obtusely or subacutely cuspidate-acuminate, truncate to shallowly or deeply cordate, entire, subentire or shallowly and rather remotely serrate-denticulate, occasionally somewhat repand, thinly to firmly chartaceous, lateral nerves 8–15 pairs, not or scarcely prominent above, slightly so beneath, tertiary nerves ± parallel, glabrous above, patent-pilose along the midrib and main nerves at least towards the base and otherwise glabrous beneath, or else ± completely glabrous above and beneath, bright green and shiny above, somewhat paler and duller beneath.
- Stipules
- Stipules linear-lanceolate, (1–)1.5–2 cm. long, ± entire, densely pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, or else ± glabrous on both surfaces, minutely ciliolate, readily deciduous.
- Inflorescences
- Inflorescences extending to 15 cm. long at maturity, with the peduncle up to 11 cm. long, and the ♂ portion cylindric-conic, 4–6 cm. long and 2 cm. wide when fully expanded, dull red, viscid; bracts rhombic, 1.5 mm. long, evenly to sparingly pubescent.
- Male
- Male flowers:calyx minute, scarcely visible; staminal column 5–7 mm. long, glabrous, anthers (1–)2–3-verticillate, 0.5 mm. long.
- Flowers
- Female flowers:peduncle 1–2 cm. long, 2–4 mm. thick; calyx-tube up to 7 mm. long and 8 mm. diameter, completely enclosing the ovary, purple; ovary subglobose, pale green; style 2–4 cm. long, stigma 1–2 cm. across, dark red. Male flowers:calyx minute, scarcely visible; staminal column 5–7 mm. long, glabrous, anthers (1–)2–3-verticillate, 0.5 mm. long.
- Female
- Female flowers:peduncle 1–2 cm. long, 2–4 mm. thick; calyx-tube up to 7 mm. long and 8 mm. diameter, completely enclosing the ovary, purple; ovary subglobose, pale green; style 2–4 cm. long, stigma 1–2 cm. across, dark red.
- Fruits
- Fruit deeply 5–20-lobed, concave at the apex and base, 4 cm. long, 8 cm. diameter, the lobes ± smooth, greenish.
- Seeds
- Seeds ± lenticular, 2.2 cm. long, 2 cm. deep, 4 mm. thick, smooth, dull brownish.
- Habitat
- Cultivated; sea-level to 1220 m.
- Distribution
- native of tropical America from the Greater Antilles and Costa Rica to N. Brazil and Bolivia, and widely cultivated in Africa and elsewhere as an ornamental, and often as a street treethe ‘Sand Box Tree’ K3 T3 T6 U4
Images
Distribution
Native to:
Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil North, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Introduced into:
Benin, Central African Repu, Florida, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
Synonyms
Other Data
Hura crepitans L. appears in other Kew resources:
Herbarium Catalogue (4 records)
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 1, 2012 | Hendelot, D. [846] | K000846146 | isotype | |
Philcox, D. [7930], Trinidad & Tobago | K000716109 | |||
Philcox, D. [7230], Trinidad & Tobago | K000716110 | |||
Philcox, D. [7247], Trinidad & Tobago | K000716111 |
Bibliography
First published in Sp. Pl.: 1008 (1753)
Accepted by
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2016). Flora of North America North of Mexico 12: 1-603. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
- de Oliveira, L. dos S.D., da Silva, M.J. & de Sales, M.F. (2013). Synopsis of the tribe Hureae (Euphorbioideae, Euphorbiaceae) Brittonia 65: 310-329.
- Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
- Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.
- Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo) Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 30: 1-307.
- Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
- Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
- Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
- van Welzen, P.C. & Chayamarit, K. (2007). Flora of Thailand 8(2): 305-592. The Forest Herbarium, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok.
- Balakrishnan, N.P. & Chakrabarty, T. (2007). The family Euphorbiaceae in India. A synopsis of its profile, taxonomy and bibliography: 1-500. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.
- Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
- Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento.
- Harris, D.J. (2002). The vascular plants of the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic: 1-274. National Botanic Garden (Belgium), Meise.
- Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666.
- Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2016). Flora of North America North of Mexico 12: 1-603. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
- Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
- Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
- Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
- Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
- Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
- Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento.
- Harris, D.J. (2002). The vascular plants of the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic: 1-274. National Botanic Garden (Belgium), Meise.
- Gonzalez, F., Nelson Diaz, J. & Lowry, P. (1995). Flora Illustrada de San Andrés y Providencia: 1-281. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Colombia.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Keay, Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 1: 368 (1958), in adnot.
- J.P.M. Brenan, Check-lists of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of the British Empire no. 5, part II, Tanganyika Territory p. 216 (1949).
- A. Engler & O. Drude, Die Vegetation Der Erde, IX, Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 144 (1921).
- Prain in Flora of Tropical Africa 6(1): 1019 (1913).
- Pax in A. Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV. 147(5): 272 (1912).
- Muell. Arg. in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 1229 (1866).
- L., Sp. Pl.: 1008 (1753).
Sources
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0