Hippomane Explained

Hippomane is a genus of plants in the Euphorbiaceae described by Linnaeus in 1753.^{[1] [2]} It is native to the West Indies, Central America, Mexico, Florida, Venezuela, Colombia, and Galápagos.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Derivation of name

The name of the genus references the Greek name hippomanes (applied by Theophrastus to an unidentified plant said to poison horses, sending them mad) - this being a compound of the Greek elements ἵππος (=) horse and μανία (= mania) insanity / frenzy - hence "sending horses insane".^[8]

Species

Accepted Species

1. Hippomane horrida Urb. & Ekman. - Barahona in Dominican Rep
2. Hippomane mancinella L. - West Indies, Mexico, Central America, Florida Keys, Venezuela, Colombia, Galápagos
3. Hippomane spinosa L. - Hispaniola

Species formerly includedmoved to other genera: Sapium

Notes and References

1. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40026296 Tropicos, Hippomane L.
2. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359212#page/633/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 1191-1192
3. Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
4. González Ramírez, J. 2010. Euphorbiaceae. En: Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica. Vol. 5. B.E. Hammel, M.H. Grayum, C. Herrera & N. Zamora (eds.). Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 119: 290–394.
5. Martínez Gordillo, M., J. J. Ramírez, R. C. Durán, E. J. Arriaga, R. García, A. Cervantes & R. M. Hernández. 2002. Los géneros de la familia Euphorbiaceae en México. Anales del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Botánica 73(2): 155–281.
6. Webster, G. L. & M.J. Huft. 1988. Revised synopsis of Panamanian Euphorbiaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 75(3): 1087–1144.
7. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Hippomane%20mancinella.png Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
8. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2012). CRC World dictionary of medicinal and poisonous plants: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms and etymology. CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group. Volume III E-L pps. 484-5.