''Coccoloba'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 120–150 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...

, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common names.

Range

The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, with two species extending into

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

.Flora of North America
''Coccoloba''
/ref>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .

Description

The species are

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, and

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s, mostly

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are alternate, often large (to very large in some species; up to 2.5m (8 feet) long in ''C. gigantifolia''), with the leaves on juvenile plants often larger and of different shape to those of mature plants. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in spikes. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a three-angled

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

, surrounded by an often brightly coloured fleshy

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ...

, edible in some species, though often astringent. Species in the genus have been characterized as

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, but this is unclear.

Trioecy Trioecy, or subdioecy, is a rare sexual system characterized by the coexistence of males, females, and hermaphrodites. It has been found in both plants and animals. Trioecy is sometimes referred to as a mixed mating system alongside androdioecy an ...

has been documented in ''C. cereifera''.

Selected species

*'' Coccoloba acuminata'' *'' Coccoloba barbadensis'' – Uvero *'' Coccoloba caracasana'' – Papaturro *'' Coccoloba cereifera'' *'' Coccoloba costata'' – Uvilla *'' Coccoloba diversifolia'' – Pigeonplum *'' Coccoloba gigantifolia'' (with human-sized leaves) *'' Coccoloba goldmanii'' *''

Coccoloba krugii ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Whitewood seagrape *'' Coccoloba microstachya'' – Puckhout *'' Coccoloba mollis'' *'' Coccoloba padiformis'' *''

Coccoloba pallida ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Pale seagrape *''

Coccoloba pauciflora ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Uvilla cimarrona *''

Coccoloba pubescens ''Coccoloba pubescens'', known as grandleaf seagrape, largeleaf, mountain-grape, and Eve's umbrella, is a species of ''Coccoloba'' native to coastal regions of the Caribbean: on Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, Dominica, Hispaniola, Martinique, Montse ...

'' – Grandleaf seagrape *''

Coccoloba pyrifolia ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Uvera *''

Coccoloba rugosa ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Ortegon *''

Coccoloba sintenisii ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Uvero de monte *'' Coccoloba swartzii'' – Swartz's pigeonplum *''

Coccoloba tenuifolia ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – Bahama pigeonplum *'' Coccoloba tuerckheimii'' *'' Coccoloba uvifera'' – Seagrape *''

Coccoloba venosa ''Coccoloba'' is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, which is native to the Neotropics. There is no overall English name for the genus, although many of the individual species have widely used common ...

'' – False chiggergrape Sources:USDA Plants Profile
''Coccoloba''
/ref>Global Compendium of Weeds
''Coccoloba acuminata''
/ref>Plants of Hawaii

Ecology

The species '' Coccoloba cereifera'' is notable for being restricted to an area of only some 26 square km on a single low peak near Serra do Cipó National Park, in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

Cultivation and uses

One species, ''Coccoloba uvifera'' (Seagrape) is commonly cultivated for its edible fruit, and the genus name is sometimes used to denote this species.

References

External links

* * Polygonaceae genera Neotropical realm flora {{Polygonaceae-stub