Tragia Plum. ex L.

Tragia Plum. ex L. View in CoL ( Linnaeus 1753: 980)

Lectotype species

Tragia volubilis L. (designated by Small 1913).

Description

Scrambling, scandent, or twining monoecious perennial, rarely annual, herbs or shrubs. Indumentum of simple hairs (referred as minute hairs when less than 0.5 mm long), usually mixed with patent stinging (urticating) hairs. Leaves alternate, petiolate, stipulate, pulvinate (distally and / or proximally), simple, with an entire, dentate to serrate or sinuate (in T. volubilis ) margin, cordate or rounded base, acute or acuminate apex, not ciliate, membranous, palmatinerved, without stipels. Inflorescences terminal, leaf-opposed or lateral, rarely axillary, racemose, unisexual or bisexual, with 1–2 (3) female flowers at the base; bracts conspicuous, persistent, 1–3 - flowered; bracteoles 2 (male flowers sometimes without). Male flowers pedicellate (pedicel articulate); calyx closed in bud, later splitting into 3 valvate lobes; petals 0; disk 0; stamens (2) 3, filaments short, anthers 2 - thecous, dorsifixed or almost basifixed, longitudinally dehiscent, connective narrow. Female flowers pedicellate (pedicel articulate); calyx with 3 or 6 lobes, imbricate, entire or laciniate to pinnatifid or subpalmatifid, persistent and reflexed in fruit, slightly or strongly accrescent, the median portion becoming indurated; petals 0; disc 0; ovary 3 - locular, oblate, with 1 ovule per locule, smooth; styles 3, connate at the base into a short, slender column, free above, entire. Fruits 3 - lobed, dehiscent into 3 2 - valved cocci (rarely also monocarpous allomorphic and horned, in T. volubilis ), smooth; cocci subglobose; endocarp crustaceous; columella 3 - fid, persistent. Seeds globose, ecarunculate, smooth; testa crustaceous.