Cerbera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "Automated taxobox".

Cerbera is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs, native to tropical Asia, Australia, Madagascar, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.[2]Template:R/superscript[3]Template:R/superscript

Three trees of this genus are mangroves, Cerbera floribunda, Cerbera manghas and Cerbera odollam.

Description

They are perennial trees or shrubs growing up Template:Cvt high, the branches with conspicuous leaf scars. The leaves are spirally arranged and crowded towards the ends of the branches. Each has up to 30 lateral veins that may be straight or upcurved, at 50 to 90 degrees to the midrib. All parts produce a white sticky latex.[2]Template:R/superscript[3]Template:R/superscript[4]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp[5]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp

The inflorescences are terminal with long peduncles, flowers are carried on short pedicels. Sepals are mostly free and usually pale green, the corolla is white, with a red, pink, yellow or white centre. Flowers are 5–merous and actinomorphic, i.e. they are symmetric and can be divided in equal halves along any diameter.[2]Template:R/superscript[3]Template:R/superscript[4]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp[5]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp

The fruit are ellipsoid drupes containing one or two seeds, and may be green, red, purple or blue.[2]Template:R/superscript[3]Template:R/superscript[4]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp[5]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp

Taxonomy

Cerbera was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in his work Species Plantarum, in which he described three species — C. manghas, C. thevetia and C. ahouai. Of these, only C. manghas is still included in Cerbera (the other two having been moved to other genera) and is considered to be the lectotype.[4]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp

The genus is most closely related to Cerberiopsis Template:Au, Thevetia Template:Au and Cascabela Template:Au.[4]Template:R/superscriptTemplate:Rp

Etymology

The genus is named after Cerberus, a three-headed dog in Greek mythology, because all the species are poisonous — they contain cerberin, a cardiac glycoside, a substance that blocks electric impulses in the body (including the beating of the heart). Therefore, it is advised to avoid using wood from Cerbera species due to their toxicity, and as their smoke may cause lethal poisoning.

Species

The following is a list of all six species in this genus that are accepted by Plants of the World Online as of 6 September 2023 [1]Template:R/superscript

Formerly included here

References

Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Forster, P.I. (2022). "Cerbera". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera". Flora of China (eFloras). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Forster, P. I. (1992). "A taxonomic revision of Cerbera L. (Apocynaceae) in Australia and Papuasia". Austrobaileya. 3 (4): 570. JSTOR 41738802.
  5. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1999). "Series of revisions of Apocynaceae XLVII. The genus Cerbera L." Agricultural University Wageningen Papers. 98 (3).
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera obovata Roem. & Schult". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera oppositifolia Lam". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera thevetia L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cerbera ahouai L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 September 2023.

Script error: No such module "Taxonbar". Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.