Colubrina

Colubrina
Colubrina asiatica in Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Colubrina
Rich. ex Brongn.
Type species
Colubrina ferruginosa
Brongn.
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Barcena Druges
  • Cormonema Reissek ex Endl.
  • Diplisca Raf.
  • Hybosperma Urb.
  • Macrorhamnus Baill.
  • Marcorella (Neck. ex G.Don) Raf.
  • Rhamnobrina H.Perrier
  • Tralliana Lour.
  • Tubanthera Comm. ex DC.

Colubrina is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae. It is native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia, northern Australia, and islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Names

Common names include nakedwood, snakewood, greenheart and hogplum. The generic name is derived from the Latin word coluber, meaning "snake", and refers to the snake-like stems or stamens.

Description

The species are shrubs and small trees growing 1–10 metres (3.3–32.8 ft) tall, with simple ovate leaves. The flowers are small, greenish-white or yellowish; the fruit is a capsule containing three seeds.

Taxonomy

In 2005, the genus was considered at least in part a wastebasket taxon, and that revision would likely result in the renaming of a number of species to different genera in the future.

Species

As of August 2026, Plants of the World Online accepted these species:

Formerly placed here

Ecology

Colubrina species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix kendalli which feeds exclusively on C. texensis. Colubrina asiatica, native to tropical Asia, eastern Africa and northern Australia, has become an invasive species in Florida.

Uses

In the Caribbean, the leaves and/or fruit and in some cases the bark of some species such as Colubrina elliptica (soldierwood) are used to produce a soft drink called mauby.

References

  1. ↑ "Genus: Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  2. ↑ "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  3. 1 2 "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. I: A-C. CRC Press. p. 588. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
  5. ↑ Phillipson, P.B. (2007-07-22). "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". A Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar. eFloras.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  6. 1 2 Nesom, Guy L. (2013). "Taxonomic Notes on Colubrina (Rhamnaceae)" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 4: 1–21.
  7. ↑ Bornhorst, Heidi Leianuenue (2005). Growing Native Hawaiian Plants: A How-to Guide for the Gardener (2 ed.). Bess Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-57306-207-7.
  8. ↑ "Protected Trees" (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-05.
  9. ↑ "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn. Subordinate Taxa". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  10. 1 2 "GRIN Species Records of Colubrina". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  11. ↑ "Colubrina". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  12. ↑ Nesom, Guy L. "The American Colubrina celtidifolia (Rhamnaceae) is a member of the Asian genus Hovenia" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 18: 1–75.