Manihot rhomboidea Müll.Arg.
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Authority
Rogers, David J. & Appan, S. G. 1973. Manibot, Manihotoides (Euphorbiaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 13: 1-272. 1 chart. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Euphorbiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Sprawling shrubs, ca 0.5 m tall, branching from base onwards, branches slender, weak. Roots prominently swollen, napiform, often as long as 25.0 cm; epidermis dark brown, rough; subepidermis white; with strong smell of HCN. Young stems glabrous; mature stems grayish brown, often with deep reddish tinge, glabrous, latex present. Leaves alternate, stipules deciduous, glabrous; petioles usually about 6.0 cm long, occasionally as short as 3.0 cm, glabrous, terete, greenish or purplish tinged; lamina very narrowly peltate, ventral surface glabrous, color varying from pure green to various degrees of purplish tinge, dorsal surface glaucous, occasionally silvery, abaxial surface wax pattern smooth; venation camptodromous or craspedodromous; palmately 7 lobed, 3 major, 2 smaller and, often, 2 more minute lobes; median lobes varying in size and shape, length 3.0-15.0 cm, width 0.5-5.0 cm, rhomboid, entire-lobed, or rhomboid pandurate to hastate or gladiate, or with several combinations of these in the same local population; apex acute to acuminate; lowest lobes about 1/4 as long as median lobes, attenuate. Inflorescence a monoecious raceme, of two types: either a short axillary raceme less than 10.0 cm in length, (flowers occurring from base to the apex, pistillate flowers restricted to the base), or a long terminal raceme, often as long as 25 cm, (the lower half of the rachis completely devoid of flowers, pistillate flowers occurring at the base of the upper half of rachis); peduncles and pedicels glabrous, pure green or purplish tinged, bracteoles setaceous less than 0.3 cm in length, glabrous, margin smooth; bractlets setaceous, glabrous. Pistillate flowers, when occurring at the very base of the inflorescence, borne on pedicels about 2.0 cm long, slightly curved downwards; when occurring at the base of the upper half of the rachis, borne on pedicels about 2.0 cm long with a characteristic downward bend, almost at a right angle; tepals ca 1.1 cm long, pure greenish yellow to various degrees of purplish tinged, cleft to the base into 5 oblong-lanceolate lobes; disc orange yellow, fleshy, entire; pistil ca 0.5 cm long, ovary greenish, glabrous, subglobose to slightly elongated, the 3 divisions of the stigma clearly divided to base and relatively long-lobed and lobulate, cream colored. Staminate flowers ca 1.5 cm long, campanulate, sometimes almost conical; tepals greenish yellow to various degrees of purplish tinged, cleft 1/3 way down into 5 oblong-obtuse or tapering lobes, prominently reflexed at anthesis; disc orange-yellow, fleshy, 10 lobed; stamens 10, in 2 whorls of 5 each, longer ones ca 1.1 cm long, shorter ones ca 0.9 cm long, fully exerted at anthesis, filaments greenish white, anthers pale yellow. Fruit pedicels slightly curved downwards in case of fruits occurring at the very base of the inflorescence, or bent down almost at a right angle in case of fruits occurring at the base of the upper half of the rachis; capsules almost globular, ca 1.0 cm or less in length from base to apex, surface more or less tuberculate, without ribs, apex rounded; fruit dehiscence septicidal. Seeds oblong, 0.5-0.8 cm in length; caruncle moderately prominent, trapeziform.
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Distribution
(Fig 18A). Mexico, states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Aguas Calientes, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas; Guatemala, Huehuetenango, El Quiche, Izabal, Baja Verapas; Honduras, Francisco Morazan; El Salvador; Nicaragua.
Mexico North America| Sinaloa Mexico North America| Nayarit Mexico North America| Guanajuato Mexico North America| Querétaro Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Colima Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Morelos Mexico North America| México Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Huehuetenango Guatemala Central America| Quiché Guatemala Central America| Izabal Guatemala Central America| Baja Verapaz Guatemala Central America| Honduras Central America| Francisco Morazán Honduras Central America| El Salvador Central America| Nicaragua Central America|