Oplonia spinosa
Encyclopedia
Oplonia spinosa is a species
of plants in the Acanthaceae
family, endemic to several Caribbean
islands. It is a spiny shrub ranging in height from dwarf to 3 meters, with curved spines 4-12 mm long, and leaves variable in size and shape.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of plants in the Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
The family Acanthaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species....
family, endemic to several Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands. It is a spiny shrub ranging in height from dwarf to 3 meters, with curved spines 4-12 mm long, and leaves variable in size and shape.
Synonyms
- Anthacanthus spinosus (Jacq.) Nees
- Jasminum coeruleum Kuntze
- Justicia spinosa Jacq.