Meineckia Baill.

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Monoecious or dioecious shrubs or subherbaceous undershrubs

Morphology General Indumentum

Indumentum (when present) simple, hairs multicellular

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, distichous, petiolate, often only shortly so, stipulate, simple, entire, penninerved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers axillary, fasciculate, the fascicles unisexual or bisexual; if unisexual, male flowers several per fascicle, female flowers usually solitary Male flowers: pedicels long, very slender; sepals 5, imbricate; petals 0; disc annular or patelliform, slightly lobed, the lobes opposite to the sepals, adnate to the calyx, at least partially so; stamens 5, with the filaments united 1/4 to almost their entire length into a slender or stout column, anthers extrorse, quadrilobate, laterally dehiscent; pistillode cylindric, entire or trifid, at the apex of the staminal column Female flowers: pedicels very long, slender, distinctly articulate near the base; sepals and disc as in the ♂ flowers; ovary smooth, glabrous, 3-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles slightly connate at the base, bipartite or deeply bifid, stigmas usually capitate

sex Male

Male flowers: pedicels long, very slender; sepals 5, imbricate; petals 0; disc annular or patelliform, slightly lobed, the lobes opposite to the sepals, adnate to the calyx, at least partially so; stamens 5, with the filaments united 1/4 to almost their entire length into a slender or stout column, anthers extrorse, quadrilobate, laterally dehiscent; pistillode cylindric, entire or trifid, at the apex of the staminal column

sex Female

Female flowers: pedicels very long, slender, distinctly articulate near the base; sepals and disc as in the ♂ flowers; ovary smooth, glabrous, 3-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles slightly connate at the base, bipartite or deeply bifid, stigmas usually capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits trilobate, dehiscing septicidally into 3 bivalved cocci leaving a persistent columella; endocarp thinly woody

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds often 1 per locule due to abortion, reniform, pitted, ecarunculate; endosperm copious; cotyledons broad, flat; radicle over 1/2 the length of the cotyledons, bent.

Vorontsova, M.S. & Hoffmann, P. (2008). A phylogenetic classification of tribe Poranthereae (Phyllanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae sensu lato). Kew Bulletin 63: 41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-007-9012-8

Distribution

Americas, Africa including Madagascar, South Asia; 30 species.

Morphology General Habit

Monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs, sometimes subherbaceous

Morphology General Indumentum

Indumentum simple or 0

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, petiolate, entire, not peltate or peltate in M. peltata, penninerved, 1 – 5 times longer than wide, membranaceous to chartaceous

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules persistent or deciduous, membranaceous, sometimes foliaceous, margin entire to laciniate, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 5; filaments free to fused up to 9/10 of their length; anthers longitudinally dehiscent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 5 (rarely 6), either accrescent or not

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 0 or 5, much shorter than sepals

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc annular, entire or shallowly undulate, concave, slightly cupular, membranaceous to chartaceous or thick fleshy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 3-locular, glabrous or densely pilose; ovules anatropous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistillodes

Pistillode subentire to 3-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas apically dilated to capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Styles free or connate at base, entire to bifid to base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels articulate above base; articulation practically invisible before abscission

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollen

Pollen prolate to spheroidal; exine reticulate to verrucate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 3-lobed Columella 5 – 6 times longer than its narrowest width

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, solitary to fasciculate, staminate flowers sometimes on short densely bracteate inflorescences

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1 or 2 per locule, ecarunculate, rounded triquetrous to reniform, rugose to fenestrate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Cotyledons

Cotyledons equal, broad, thin, longer or shorter than radicle, much wider than radicle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Embryo

Embryo longitudinally curved to almost straight

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Endosperm

Endosperm copious, deeply invaginate

Note

The circumscription of Meineckia is here broadened to include the new Madagascan subgenus Petaliferae.

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Monoecious or occasionally dioecious trees or shrubs, without indumentum

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, shortly petiolate, stipulate, simple, entire, penninerved

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules large, foliaceous, green, sometimes persistent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers axillary, the males solitary, geminate or fasciculate, often long-pedicellate, the females solitary, usually in the distal axils, long-pedicellate Male flowers: sepals 5, imbricate, conspicuously veined; petals 0; disc large, flat, annular-pentagonal; stamens 5, filaments free, anthers introrse, medifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen very diverse; pistillode small to minute, trifid or trilobate Female flowers: sepals and disc ± as in the ♂ flowers, but somewhat larger; ovary smooth, 3-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 3, ± free or united at the base, ascending or spreading, recurved, entire or slightly bilobate, the stigmas somewhat swollen

sex Male

Male flowers: sepals 5, imbricate, conspicuously veined; petals 0; disc large, flat, annular-pentagonal; stamens 5, filaments free, anthers introrse, medifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen very diverse; pistillode small to minute, trifid or trilobate

sex Female

Female flowers: sepals and disc ± as in the ♂ flowers, but somewhat larger; ovary smooth, 3-locular, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 3, ± free or united at the base, ascending or spreading, recurved, entire or slightly bilobate, the stigmas somewhat swollen

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 3-lobed, dehiscing into 3 bivalved cocci, the valves of which separate; exocarp rugulose, ultimately separating from the endocarp; endocarp thinly woody; columella persistent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2 per locule, roundly triquetrous-subreniform, foveolate-lineate or rugulose, ecarunculate.