Colubrina
 | This article needs more citations. (December 2024) |
| Colubrina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Colubrina asiatica in Hawaii | |
Scientific 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 | |
| |
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[update], Plants of the World Online accepted these species:
- Colubrina acunae Kitan.
- Colubrina alluaudii (H.Perrier) Capuron
- Colubrina amazonica W.Palacios
- Colubrina angustior (M.C.Johnst.) G.L.Nesom (eastern Mexico)
- Colubrina arborescens (Mill.) Sarg. – Greenheart (southern Florida, southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America)
- Colubrina articulata (Capuron) Figueiredo
- Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn. – Asian nakedwood, ʻĀnapanapa kukuku (Hawaiian) (Indo-Pacific)
- Colubrina beccariana Warb. (Malaysia)
- Colubrina berteroana Urb.
- Colubrina californica I.M.Johnst. – Las Animas nakedwood
- Colubrina cordifolia Reissek
- Colubrina cubensis (Jacq.) Brongn. – Cuban nakedwood (southern Florida, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba)
- Colubrina decipiens (Baill.) Capuron
- Colubrina ehrenbergii Schltdl.
- Colubrina elliptica (Sw.) Brizicky & W.L.Stern – mabi, soldierwood (Florida Keys, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Venezuela)
- Colubrina faraloatra (H.Perrier) Capuron
- Colubrina ferruginosa Brongn.
- Colubrina glandulosa Perkins – glandular nakedwood
- Colubrina greggii S.Watson – Sierra nakedwood
- Colubrina heteroneura (Griseb.) Standl.
- Colubrina humbertii (H.Perrier) Capuron
- Colubrina javanica Miq.
- Colubrina johnstonii T.Wendt
- Colubrina lanceolata G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina limae Figueira
- Colubrina macrocarpa (Cav.) G.Don
- Colubrina macrocarpoides (Suess.) G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina mezquitalensis G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina neoviridis G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina nicholsonii Van Wyk & Schrire – Pondo snakewood, Pondo weeping thorn, Afrikaans: Pondo-treurdoring
- Colubrina obscura (Schrank) M.C.Johnst.
- Colubrina oppositifolia Brongn. ex H.Mann – kauila (Hawaii)
- Colubrina pedunculata Baker f. (Christmas Island)
- Colubrina retusa (Pittier) R.S.Cowan
- Colubrina sordida M.C.Johnst.
- Colubrina spinosa Donn.Sm.
- Colubrina stricta Engelm. ex M.C.Johnst. – Comal nakedwood
- Colubrina subsessilis G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina tequila G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina texensis (Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray – snakewood or Texan hogplum (Texas, northern Mexico)
- Colubrina travancorica Bedd.
- Colubrina triflora Brongn. ex Sweet
- Colubrina verrucosa (Urb.) M.C.Johnst. – Urban's nakedwood
- Colubrina villarrealii G.L.Nesom
- Colubrina viridis (M.E.Jones) M.C.Johnst.
- Colubrina yucatanensis (M.C.Johnst.) G.L.Nesom (Yucatán Peninsula)
Formerly placed here
- Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl) Reissek ex Benth. (as C. excelsa Fenzl)
- Hovenia celtidifolia (Schltdl. & Cham.) G.L.Nesom (as C. celtidifolia)
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
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- 1 2 "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. I: A-C. CRC Press. p. 588. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 Nesom, Guy L. (2013). "Taxonomic Notes on Colubrina (Rhamnaceae)" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 4: 1–21.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn. Subordinate Taxa". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- 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.
- ↑ "Colubrina". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ↑ Nesom, Guy L. "The American Colubrina celtidifolia (Rhamnaceae) is a member of the Asian genus Hovenia" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 18: 1–75.
External links
