Omphalea

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Malpighiales

Familia: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamilia: Crotonoideae
Tribus: Adenoclineae
Genus: Omphalea
Species: O. ankaranensis – O. bracteata – O. brasiliensis – O. celata – O. commutata – O. diandra – O. ekmanii – O. grandifolia – O. hypoleuca – O. malayana – O. mansfeldiana – O. occidentalis – O. oleifera – O. oppositifolia – O. palmata – O. papuana – O. queenslandiae – O. sargentii – O. triandra – O. trichotoma
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Omphalea in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Jun 11. Reference page.

Name

Omphalea L., 1759

Type species: Omphalea triandra L.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Omphalandria P.Browne, Civ. Nat. Hist. Jamaica: 335 (1756), nom. rej.
Duchola Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 357 (1763).
Ronnowia Buc'hoz, Pl. Nouv. Découv.: 6 (1779).
Hecatea Thouars, Hist. Vég. îles France: 27 (1804).
Hecaterium Kunze ex Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst.: 281 (1837).
Hebecocca Beurl., Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 40: 146 (1854 publ. 1856).
Neomphalea Pax & K.Hoffm. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 147, XIV: 54 (1919).

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1759. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus II. Editio decima, reformata. Pp. [I–VI], 825–1384. Impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae [Stockholm]. BHL Reference page. : ed. 10, 2: 1264

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Omphalea in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Jun 11. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Omphalea. Published online. Accessed: Jun 11 2020.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Omphalea in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Jun 11. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2020. Omphalea. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Jun 11.

Vernacular names
русский: Омфалея
中文: 脐戟属

Omphalea is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1759.[3][4] It is native to tropical parts of the Americas, the West Indies, Asia, Australia, and Africa (including Madagascar).[2][5][6]

Omphalea has monoecious, apetalous flowers and fleshy fruits with hard centers.[7]

Ecology

The plants are toxic and few animals can eat them. Diurnal moths of the subfamily Uraniinae feed on them. These moths are species of the genus Urania in the Americas, and of the genus Chrysiridia in Africa.

The only species from mainland Africa is from Tanzania is O. mansfeldiana, a liana from Tanzania . The Madagascan species are O. ankaranensis, a shrub from the limestone karst of northern Madagascar, O. palmata Leandri, a dry forest shrub closely related to O. ankaranensis but from western Madagascar, O. occidentalis Leandri, also a dry forest species of western Madagascar, and O. oppositifilia (Willdenow), a tree from the east coast rainforest of Madagascar.[7]

The Madagascan sunset moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus) feeds on all four of these species.

Species[2]

Omphalea ankaranensis - N Madagascar
Omphalea bracteata - Indochina, Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines
Omphalea brasiliensis - Bahia
Omphalea celata - Queensland
Omphalea commutata - Haiti incl Gonâve Island
Omphalea diandra - Central + South America, West Indies
Omphalea ekmanii - Dominican Rep
Omphalea grandifolia - Philippines
Omphalea hypoleuca - W Cuba
Omphalea malayana - Pulao Tioman, Sarawak, Luzon
Omphalea mansfeldiana - Tanzania
Omphalea megacarpa - Grenada, Trinidad, Tobago
Omphalea occidentalis - W Madagascar
Omphalea oleifera - Mexico, Central America
Omphalea oppositifolia - E Madagascar
Omphalea palmata - WC Madagascar
Omphalea papuana - Queensland, Papuasia
Omphalea queenslandiae - Queensland
Omphalea sargentii - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Omphalea triandra - Jamaica, Haiti
Omphalea trichotoma - Cuba

formerly included

moved to other genera (Mabea Phyllanthus Sapium Sebastiania Senefeldera )

O. axillaris - Phyllanthus axillaris
O. cauliflora - Phyllanthus cauliflorus
O. eglandulata - Sebastiania eglandulata
O. epistylium - Phyllanthus axillaris
O. glandulata - Sapium glandulosum
O. lactescens - Mabea piriri
O. verticillata - Senefeldera verticillata

References

1821 illustration from The botanical cabinet, consisting of coloured delineations of plants from all countries by Conrad Loddiges. London, C. Loddiges & Sons, etc., 1821, volume 6 (plate 519).
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Linnaeus, Carl von. 1759. Systema Naturae, Editio Decima 2: 1254, 1264, 1378 in Latin
Tropicos
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.
Schatz, George E. "Euphorbiaceae - Omphalea oppositifolia". MBG Images of Euphorbiaceae in Madagascar. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
Gillespie, Lynn J. (1997). "Omphalea (Euphorbiaceae) in Madagascar: A New Species and a New Combination". Novon. 7 (2): 127–136. doi:10.2307/3392184. JSTOR 3392184.