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 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 , 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, Ānapanapa 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, 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
External links
Global Invasive Species Database: Colubrina asiatica Jepson Flora Project: Colubrina californica