''Tragia durbanensis'', the stinging nettle creeper, is a twining herb in the family
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...
,
[Pooley, E. (1998). ''A Field Guide to Wild Flowers; KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region''. .] with a restricted distribution in
southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
.
[Swaziland's Flora Database: ''Tragia glabrata'' (Müll.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm. var. ''glabrata'': http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/speciesinfo.asp?spid=1670, retrieved 1 March 2011.] There are some 150 species in the genus ''Tragia''.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the coastal areas of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
and eastern coastal areas of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
These plants are found in dune forest,
[JSTOR PLANT SCIENCE: Entry for ''Tragia glabrata'' var. ''glabrata'' amily EUPHORBIACEAE http://plants.jstor.org/flora/fz7111, retrieved 1 March 2011.] in woodland and on forest margins.
Description
A much-branched climbing
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
herb, with twining stems up to 2.5 m originating from a woody rootstock.
[JSTOR PLANT SCIENCE: Entry for ''Tragia glabrata'' Müll. Arg. Pax & K. Hoffm. amily EUPHORBIACEAE http://plants.jstor.org/flora/fz7110, retrieved 1 March 2011.] The leaves are hairless or thinly hairy with serrated margins.
The hairs sting fiercely.
Inflorescences are up to 5.5 cm long with
peduncles up to 2 cm long.
The inflorescences are composed mostly of tiny
male flowers with 1–2 female flowers below or else all male.
Synonyms
*''Tragia capensis'' E.Mey. ex Sond.
llegitimate name*''Tragia glabrata'' (Müll.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm.
llegitimate name*''Tragia glabrata var. hispida'' Radcl.-Sm.
*''Tragia meyeriana var. glabrata'' Müll.Arg.
Ecological significance
This species is one of the larval foodplants of four species of butterfly; ''
Eurytela hiarbas'', ''
Eurytela dryope'', ''
Byblia ilithyia
''Byblia ilithyia'', the spotted joker or joker, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in parts of Africa and Asia.
Description
Wet-season form in Asia
The male has the upperwings of a deep rich orange. The forewing has the costa broadl ...
'' and ''
Byblia anvatara
''Byblia anvatara'', the common joker, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Wingspan: 38–43 mm in males and 40–45 mm in females. Its flight period is year round.
Larvae feed on ''Tragia glabrata' ...
''.
[Williams, M. (1994). ''Butterflies of Southern Africa; A Field Guide''. Southern Book Publishers. .]
Gallery
File:Tragia_glabrata_female_flower_04_02_2011.JPG, Female flower
File:Tragia_glabrata_fruit_04_02_2011.JPG, Fruit viewed from the side
File:Tragia_glabrata_fruit_front_04_02_2011.JPG, Fruit viewed from the front
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15384902
durbanensis