Chamaesyce

Chamaesyce is a former genus of plants each of which has now been reclassified as being Euphorbia. Genetic analysis shows that members of the former genus, which were placed in the genus by morphological characteristics of the inflorescences and associated structures, may not be as closely related to each other as to other members of Euphorbia, but only appear to be more closely related because of convergent evolution of these apparently similar structures. It is characterized by tiny flower structures that appear as one true flower, as if there were a flower with many stamens surrounding a single ovary. In fact, this is a head of many flowers, with each reduced to having only its essential sexual reproducing parts. Under magnification, it can be seen that what appear to be many stamen"s of a single flower, is actually a head of individual male flowers containing only its own stamen as a part. It is joined to the stalk at a joint at the base of the stamen stalk (filament), at which point it joins the "flower" stalk. The apparent flower's "ovary", is similarly a single individual female flower of its own. The "petals" of what appears to be an individual flower are in fact leaf-like structures that are below the head of reduced flowers ([cyathium]]).

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