Biology:Excoecaria

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Short description: Genus of plants

Excoecaria
Excoecaria agallocha in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India
Excoecaria agallocha in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Hippomaneae
Subtribe: Hippomaninae
Genus: Excoecaria
L.
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Commia Lour.
  • Glyphostylus Gagnep.
  • Taeniosapium Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, formally described by Linnaeus in 1759.[2][3] The genus is native to the Old World Tropics (Africa, southern Asia, northern Australia , and assorted oceanic islands).[1][4][5]

Etymology

Genus name, Excoecaria, is from the Latin word excaeco, which means "to blind" and refers to the sap of the plants that can cause temporary blindness.[6]

Toxic latex

The milky latex of Excoecaria agallocha, also known as Thillai, milky mangrove, blind-your-eye mangrove and river poison tree, is poisonous. Mangroves of this plant surround the ancient Thillai Chidambaram Temple in Tamil Nadu. Contact with skin can cause irritation and rapid blistering; contact with eyes will result in temporary blindness. It is distributed in the Pichavaram wetlands, near Chidambaram India, in Australia from northern New South Wales, along the northern coastline around to Western Australia.The latex is extremely poisonous. Even dried and powdered leaves contain the poison which can kill fish very quickly.

Species list

The list of currently recognized species in this genus.[1]


Former species

These species were once included in Excoecaria but are not now consider members of this genus. They have been moved to these other genera: Actinostemon, Adenopeltis, Alchornea, Anomostachys, Bocquillonia, Bonania, Cerbera, Falconeria, Grimmeodendron, Gymnanthes, Homalanthus, Maprounea, Microstachys, Neoshirakia, Sapium, Sclerocroton, Sebastiania, Shirakiopsis, Spirostachys, Stillingia, and Triadica.[1]


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1759. Systema Naturae, Editio Decima 2: 1288 in Latin
  3. Tropicos Excoecaria L.
  4. 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.
  5. Flora of China Vol. 11 Page 280 海漆属 hai qi shu Excoecaria Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1288. 1759.
  6. "Excoecaria cochinchinensis" (in English). Singapore National Parks. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/0/2010. 

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q3237072 entry