Archive | June 2014

Astrocasia, Chascotheca and Chinese Lantern

Flowers without petals
Family: EUPHORBIACEAE (subfamily Phyllanthoideae) / PHYLLANTHACEAE

Astrocasia tremula (Griseb.) G.L. Webster
Endangered
Dioecious arborescent glabrous shrub or small tree.
Leaves Alternate on long slender petioles, pinnate-veined, whitish-glaucous on the underside, often deciduous before flowering.

Astrocasia tremula Nov24-02 ASAstrocasia tremula

Chascotheca neopeltandra (Griseb.) Urb. synonym C. domingensis
Vulnerable
Dioceous shrub, branchlets with horizontal frond-like habit;
Leaves Alternate, 3 veined from the base, petioles 2-6mm long, blades 1-4cm long, pale or glaucous beneath
Grand Cayman, Cuba and Hispaniola in rocky limestone thickets

Chasco neopeltandra fr IF Mar25-08_300 ASChascotheca neopeltandra

Phyllanthus nutans ssp. nutans Sw. Chinese Lantern
Vulnerable
Monoecious shrub
Leaves Alternate, always pinnate-veined, short-petiolate, blades up to 8 cm long, often somewhat glaucous or purple-tinged beneath.
Grand Cayman, Jamaica and the Swan Islands, in various habitats, the Cayman plants in dry, rocky woodlands

Phyllanthus nutans fr. R. Wreck Tr. 4Jul02 ASPhyllanthus nutans ssp. nutans

Phyllanthus nutans IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Click here for details and pictures:

Astrocasia, Chascotheca and Chinese Lantern