Margaritaria scandens

Margaritaria scandens (C. Wright ex. Griseb.) G. L. Webster

Common Names: No known common name

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Habit: Margaritaria scandens grows as a climbing vine/subshrub. The leaves are arranged alternately, elliptic to lanceolate to oblong, up to 8 cm in length and 3 cm wide, with an entire leaf margin, and an acute leaf apex.

Margaritaria scandens is dioecious. The incomplete, imperfect, actinomorphic, flowers are arranged in axillary cymes. Staminate flowers have 4 unfused, green tepals, 4 stamens and no carpel. The carpellate flowers have 4 unfused, tepals, no stamens with a superior carpel and 3 or 4 locules each with 2 ovules. Both staminate and carpellate flowers have a glandular disc. The fruit is a 3 – 4 lobed, glabrous capsule.

Habitat: Margaritaria scandens grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Forest/Shrubland (coppice).

Distribution: Margaritaria scandens occurs on the central and northern island groupings in the Lucayan Archipelago and in eastern Cuba.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Margaritaria scandens is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.