Cerbera

Cerbera manghas

The Cerbera is a genus within the family of the dogbane family ( Apocynaceae ). The six species are found in Africa, native in tropical Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Cerbera species grow as evergreen trees or sometimes shrubs. They contain latex. The branches are strong. The alternate and spirally arranged leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The leaf blade is easy. There are 20 to 30 pairs of lateral nerves exist, arising almost at right angles from the midrib.

Inflorescences and flowers

On long Blütenstandsschäften are the zymösen inflorescences. There are bracts present.

The relatively large, showy flowers are hermaphroditic, radial symmetry and fünfzählig. The five sepals are fused only briefly and have no glands on the inside. The five petals are fused funnel-shaped, while the corolla tube is long. The Kronschlund is widened slightly and ripped or are in him five faumhaarige shed. The five Kronlappen overlap to the left. The five stamens are inserted in Kronschlund. The stamens are short. The slender elongated and inked dust bags are not adherent to the scar and rounded at their base. The two free, permanent upper carpels each containing four ovules. The thread-like stylus is expanded in the upper part and ends in a short two-column scar.

Fruit and seeds

The flower one or two, one or zweifächerige stone fruits are formed that contain one or two seeds per fruit tray. The relatively large drupes are ellipsoidal to spherical and have a thick, woody, fibrous endocarp.

The wingless seeds contain the embryo with two thin cotyledons ( cotyledons ) and a very short radicle, but no endosperm.

Systematics and distribution

The genus Cerbera was erected in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 1, p 208. Synonyms for Cerbera L. are: Tanghinia Thouars, Elcana Blanco, Odollam Adans .. As Lectotypusart 1992 manghas Cerbera L. Jarvis: Taxon, Volume 41, pp. 560 set. The last revision of the genus Cerbera was in Antony JM Leeuwenberg: Series of revisions of Apocynaceae XLVII: the genus Cerbera L., Agricultural University Wageningen papers, Volume 98, Issue 3, 1999, pp. 1-64. The genus name is derived from Cerbera Kerberos, Latinized Cerberus, the hellhound and goalkeeper in Greek mythology that guards the entrance to the underworld, from; This refers to the toxic seeds.

The Cerbera species are found in Africa, native in tropical Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands. Three Cerbera species (eg Cerbera manghas, Cerbera odollam ) thrive in mangrove forests.

The genus belongs to the tribe Cerbera Plumerieae in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae within the family Apocynaceae.

There are (three to ) six Cerbera species:

• Cerbera dumicola PIForst. It occurs only in Queensland.
• Cerbera floribunda K.Schum. Their range extends from southeastern Sulawesi to the western Pacific.
• Cerbera inflata STBlake: Its distribution area extends Papua New Guinea to the north-eastern Queensland.
• Cerbera laeta Leeuwenb. It occurs only in Papua New Guinea.
• Manghas Cerbera L. (syn.: .. .. . Cerbera forsteri Seem, Cerbera linnaei Montr, Cerbera Tanghin Hook, Cerbera venenifera ( Poir. ) Steud Elcana seminuda Blanco, Tabernaemontana obtusifolia Poir, Tanghinia manghas (L.) G.Don, Tanghinia venenifera Poir ). It is widespread in Tanzania and the western Indidischen Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
• Zerberusbaum ( Cerbera odollam Gaertn, Syn. Cerbera dilatata Markgr, Cerbera forsteri Seem, Cerbera Lactaria Buch.-Ham ex Spreng, Odollamia malabarica Raf, Tanghinia Lactaria ( Buch.-Ham ex Spreng ) G.. .. .. .. Don, Tanghinia odollam ( Gaertn. ) G.Don ): It is widespread from southern India to the Pacific Ocean.

Use

Cerbera manghas and Cerbera odollam be used as an ornamental plant.

Swell

• Bingtao Li, Antony JM Leeuwenberg & David J. Middleton: Apocynaceae: Cerbera, pp. 164 - text the same as printed text online, In: Wu Zheng -yi and Peter H. Raven (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 16 - Gentianaceae through Boraginaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 1995. ISBN 0-915279-33-9
• Antony JM Leeuwenberg: Series of revisions of Apocynaceae XLVII: the genus Cerbera L., Agricultural University Wageningen papers, Volume 98, Issue 3, 1999, pp. 1-64.