EUPHORBIACEAE WEEK -- Fluegggea revisited

[A.Sinha]

Are Flueggea virosa and leucopyrus one and the same ?

For some time i believed that the pics attached here are those of Flueggea leucopyrus.  This specimen had grey-whitish branches, unarmed, except the ends of lower branches were spine tipped.  
 But  chancing upon Vijayshankar-jis comment  (1st link  ) that  the spine tipped branches would be an indicator for which species,
I re-checked the descriptions from the links below.


To my  inexpert view , the two species  descriptions are really close,  and even overlapping ; except for   leaf size and the F.virosa leaf being mucronate,
but  according to one ref. even  F.virosa may infrequently have spine-tipped branches.    Pictues and illustrations avlbl online also seem to overlap  wrt leaf blade /apex  shape

Is presence of spine tipped brances  a definitve identifier,  , at least for the Indian  species  ?  And are there other differences ?

regards
Akhila Sinha

Securinega leucopyros   0Efloras India)

Flueggea virosa in Flora of China @ efloras.org

Flueggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) - Nationaal Herbarium Nederland

[Rashida Atthar]

Thanks Sinha ji for posting this interesting species and earlier discussoins on the same.  Would like to inform that as per Kew Plant Llist  Fluggea species are now in the family Phyllanthaceae.  The species under discussion are two distinct species :

I) Fluggea leucopyrus Willd. (accepted name ) syn- Securinega leucopyrus (Willd) Muell-Arg 

2) Fluggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Royle (accepted name ) syn - Securinega virosa (Roxb.ex Willd.) Pax. & Hoffm.   

 

Your picture appears to me as Fluggea virosa due to the description you have given of spines only in the lower main branches, and I can see small lenticular specks on the bark which is indicative of the species.In Fluggea leucopyrus the branches are somewhat straggling, branchlets angular, slender, and ending in sharp spines. 

 

A simple key from Dr. Almeida's flora Vol IV-B pg 350:

 

1.Unarmed; leaves 2.5-8cm long-------------------------------- Fluggea obovata

2.Spinous; leaves rarely exceeding 2.5 cm long-----------Fluggea leucopyrus   

 

regards,

Rashida.

[Rashida Atthar]

Attaching type specimens from  Kew herbarium of both the speices under discussion.

 

regards,

Rashida.

[Rashida Atthar]

Please note the correction in the generic name, it should read as Flueggea .

 

regards,

Rashida