Tragia
Encyclopedia
Tragia is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the spurge family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....

. It comprises about one hundred species found in tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately  N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at  S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...

 and subtropical
Subtropics
The subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S...

 regions worldwide. Plants in this genus are sometimes known as noseburns.

These species are used in Siddha medicine
Siddha medicine
The Siddha medicine is one of the oldest medical systems known to mankind. This system of medicine originated from south Indian Tamil traditional medicine, as part of the trio Indian medicines - ayurveda, siddha and unani. This system was very popular in ancient India...

, which is practiced by the Tamil people
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

. Kaanchori (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

: காஞ்சொறி), as it is known to them, is used in curing eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...

, fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...

s, wheezing, and diabetes.

Selected species

  • Tragia adenanthera
  • Tragia affinis
  • Tragia balfouriana
    Tragia balfouriana
    Tragia balfouriana is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:* Miller, A. 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....

    J.B.Gillett (Yemen
    Yemen
    The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

    )
  • Tragia bicolor
  • Tragia cannabina
  • Tragia cissoides
  • Tragia cordata Michx. – Heartleaf Noseburn
  • Tragia hispida Willd.
  • Tragia involucrata L.
  • Tragia laciniata (Torr.) Muell.-Arg. – Sonoita Noseburn
  • Tragia nepetifolia Cav. – Catnip Noseburn
  • Tragia ramosa
    Tragia ramosa
    Tragia ramosa is a species of flowering plant in the euphorb family known by the common name branched noseburn. It is native to the southwestern and southcentral United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in scrub, woodland, and other desert and plateau habitat. It is a perennial herb...

    Torr. – Branched Noseburn
  • Tragia saxicola Small – Florida Keys Noseburn
  • Tragia volubilis – Creeping Cowitch, Fireman

External links

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