全 文 ：Received: 2012–05–18　　　　Accepted: 2012–06–11
Supported by the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund of China (pzs081) Key Samp, Agricultural Biological Resources
Protection and Utilization Project (2130135), and Agricultural Biological Resources Protection Project (11RZZY-05)
Biography: WANG Qing-long (1983~ ), male, Master, Research interests: Development and use of plant resources. E-mail: qlwang1983@163.com
* Corresponding author. E-mail: wangzhunian@yahoo.com.cn
热带亚热带植物学报　2012， 20(5)： 517~519
Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany
During the course of investigating the plants
in Hainan Island, we found a unique plant of
Euphorbiaceae that have never been reported from
China before[1–2]. Further studies revealed that it
represents a newly recorded genus, Micrococca
Benth., from China.
Mirococca Benth.[3] is a paleotropical genus of
about fourteen species in the family Euphorbiaceae
and distributed in Africa, Asia and Australia. The
genus was classified in subfamily Acalyphoideae,
tribe Acalypheae, subtribe Claoxylinae[4]. Mirococca
Benth. was separated from Claoxylon Leandri and can
be distinguished from the latter by the characters of
the shrub or tree habit, simple indumentums, stipellate
leaves, interrupted racemes, free stamens, the thecae
parted to the connective but not vermiform, colporate
pollen, unlobed styles, crustaceous fruits and
ecarunculate seeds[4–6]. Thwaites[7] merged Micrococca
with Claoxylon and his treatment was followed by
many authors[8–12]. Müller[8] treated Micrococca as a
section in Claoxylon named as C. sect. Mirococca
(Benth.) Müll. Arg., but according to the Art. 52 of
the Code[14], the name Claoxylon sect. Mirococca
(Benth.) Müll. Arg. is a superfluous name because the
name Mercurialis sect. Erythrante Baill.[13] cited as
the synonym. However, most authors recognized it as
中国大戟科一新记录属——小果木属
王清隆1,2,3, 邓云飞4, 黄明忠2, 王祝年1,2*, 晏小霞1
(1. 中国热带农业科学院热带作物品种资源研究所，海南 儋州 571737； 2. 农业部华南作物基因资源与种质创制重点实验室，海南 儋州 571737；
3. 海南大学园艺园林学院，海南 儋州 571737； 4. 中国科学院华南植物园，广州 510650)
摘要： 报道了中国大戟科一新记录属——小果木属(Micrococca Benth.)。小果木Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth.首次在海南发现。
关键词： 大戟科； 小果木属； 小果木； 新记录； 中国
doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1005-3395.2012.05.014
Micrococca Benth., A Newly Recorded Genus of Euphorbiaceae from
China
WANG Qing-long1,2,3, DENG Yun-fei4, HUANG Ming-zhong2, WANG Zhu-nian1,2*, YAN Xiao-xia1
(1. Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou 571737, China; 2. Key Laboratory
of Tropical Crops Germplasm Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Danzhou 571737, China; 3. College of Horticulture and Landscape
Architecture, Hainan University, Danzhou 571737, China; 4. Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South
China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China)
Abstract: The genus Micrococca Benth. of Euphorbiaceae is reported as newly recorded genus from China.
Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth. was found in Hainan, China for the first time.
Key words: Euphorbiaceae; Micrococca Benth.; M. mercurialis (L.) Benth.; New record; China
518　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 热带亚热带植物学报　　　　 　　　　　　　 　 第20卷
independent genus from Claoxylon[6,11,15–22].
Micrococca Benth., Niger Fl. [W. J. Hooker]
503. 1849. Claoxylon sect. Micrococca (Benth.)
Müll. Arg., Linnaea 34: 166. 1865. Type: Micrococca
mercurialis (L.) Benth. 小果木属 (新拟)
Mercurialis sect. Erythrante Baill., Etude
Euphorb. 490. 1858. Type: Mercurialis alternifolia
Lam. [=Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth.]
Herbs or shrubs, monoecios or dioecious,
glabrous to hairy. Indumentum of simple. Stipules
narrowly triangular, early caduous. Leaves simple,
a l ternate; pet iole adaxi l ly channeled; blade
symmetric, usually with 2 glands at the base, venation
pinnate. Inflorescence usually racemose or paniculate,
with several staminate flowers and a single pistillate
flower per node; bracts ovate to elliptic. Flowers
actinomorphic; sepals 3 or 4; petals absent. Staminate
flowers pedicellate; sepals ovate; disc absent; stamens
3–66, filaments glabrous, anthers bisifixed, thecae 2,
separate, basally attached to the very short connective,
latrorse; pisti l lode absent. Pisti l late flowers
pedicellate, sepals basally connate, lobes ovate; disc
3-lobed, strap-like, lobes alternate with carpels;
ovary 3- or 4-locular, 1 ovule per locule; style absent,
stigmas 3, undivided. Fruits lobed capsules, dehiscing
loculicidally and septicidally; wall thin, crustaceous;
columella slightly widened apically. Seeds smooth,
globose or ellipsoid, glabrous.
The genus consists of about 14 species distributed
in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia.
Recently, one species is found in Hainan, China.
Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth. in Hook.
f., Niger Fl. 503. 1849. —— Tragia mercurialis
L., Sp. Pl. 980. 1753. —— Claoxylon mercurialis
(L.) Thwaites, Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 271. 1861. ——
Microstachys mercurialis (L.) Dalz. & Gibs., Bombay
Fl. 227. 1861. Lectotype (chosen by Radcliffe-Smith,
1987): Plunkenet, 1692: t. 205/4; 1696: 248. 小果木
(新拟) Fig. 1
Mercurialis alternifolia Lam., Encycl. 4: 120.
1797. —— Type: Senegal, Adanson s.n. (P-JU).
Herbs or subshrubs, 15–60 cm, much branched,
monoecious; flowering stems 2–4 mm in diam.,
sparsely hairy, sometimes glabrous. Stipules 0.3–
1.8 mm. Leave alternate; petiole 0.5–2 cm, slightly
hairy, with glands at base; blade ovate to elliptic,
1.8–5.3 cm × 1–2.6 cm, base attenuate to rounded,
with 2 glands above, margin crenate, often with glands
and hairs in sinuses, apex acute, adaxilly glabrous
to slightly hairy, abaxilly sparsely hairy, lateral
nerves ca. 5 pairs. Inflorescence of racemes, axillary,
1.5–7 cm; peduncle 0.5–4.3 cm, glabrous. Bracts
ovate to elliptic, 1–1.7 mm × 0.3–1 mm, glabrous
to sparsely hairy. Staminate flowers 0.5–1.5 mm
in diam.; pedicels 0.5–2 mm, glabrous; sepals ovate,
0.3–1 mm × 0.3–0.7 mm, glarous to slightly hairy
outside; stamens 3 or 4, filaments 0.1–0.3 mm,
thecae 0.2–0.4 mm × 0.1–0.2 mm. Pistillate flowers
1–2 mm in diam., hairy; pedicels 0.1–1.5 cm, hairy;
sepals ovate, 1–1.7 mm × 0.7–0.8 mm, hairy outside; disc
lobes 0.5–1 mm × 0.1–0.3 mm; ovary globose, ca. 0.5 mm
in diam., hairy; stigmas 0.2–0.8 mm, undivided,
smooth or papillate. Capsule 3-loculed, globose or
subglobose, 3–5 mm in diam., glabrous to sparsely
hairy, columella 1–2 mm long. Seed globose, 1.5–
2 mm in diam., pale brown, pitted or verrucose.
Distribution and Habitat. Micrococca mercurialis
is distributed in tropical regions of Old World,
widespread from Africa, Madagascar, throughout S
& SE Asia to N Australia. It is newly recorded from
China and occurs in Hainan. It grows in the open,
wasted land near the coast.
Specimens examined. China. Hainan: Wenchang
Shi, on the grass, roadside, alt. 38 m, 2008–09–24,
Q. L. Wang 8092405 (IBSC); Wenchang Shi,
Qinglangang, mangroves, on the grass near the
coast，alt. 10 m，2010–07–26, Q. L. Wang 17060
(IBSC); Wenchang Shi, Qinglangang, open sandy
places near the coast, alt. 8 m, 2011–11–11, Q. L.
Wang 111101 (IBSC).
Uses. It was reported to be used as vegetable in
Gabon and medicine in Congo [5,23].
第5期 519
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Fig. 1 Micrococa mercurialis (L.) Benth. A. Habitat.; B. Plant; C. Inflorescence; D. Fruit; E. Seed.
王清隆等：中国大戟科一新记录属——小果木属