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A cyathium (plural: cyathia) is one of the specialised pseudanthia ("false flowers") forming the inflorescence of plants in the genus ''Euphorbia'' (Euphorbiaceae). A cyathium consists of: * Five (rarely four) bracteoles. These are small, united bracts, which form a cup-like involucre. Their upper tips are free and in the beginning cover the opening of the involucre (like the shutter of a camera). These alternate with: * Five (1 to 10) nectar glands, which are sometimes fused. * One extremely reduced female flower standing in the centre at the base of the involucre, consisting of an ovary on a short stem with pistil, and surrounded by: * Five groups (one group at the base of each bracteole) of extremely reduced male flowers, which each consist of a single anther on a stem. The flower-like characteristics of the cyathia are underlined by brightly coloured nectar glands and often by petal-like appendages to the nectar glands, or brightly coloured, petal-like bracts positioned under the cyathia. The paired petal-like bracts of ''Euphorbia'' section ''Goniostema'' are called ''cyathophylls''. here female to male flower ratio is 1:α The cyathia are sometimes solitary, but are usually in cymes, inflorescences of the second order, in pseudumbels, on dichotomously branched stalks or in so-called simple cymes which consist of one central and two lateral cyathia. In one group of Madagascan species in the sub-family Euphorbia section Goniostema (''E. aueoviridiflora'', ''E. capmanambatoensis'', ''E. iharanae'', ''E. leuconeura'', ''E. neohumbertii'', ''E. viguieri'') there is a tendency for a further pseudanthium to grow from the cyme. Probably as an adaptation to pollination by birds, the cyathia have become specialised: Most cyathia have upright cyathophylles which surround them protectively, but render the nectar glands inaccessible. To compensate, between them are naked sterile cyathia whose only job is to produce nectar. == References == * Sandro Pignatti, Flora d'Italia, Edagricole, Bologna 1982. ISBN 88-506-2449-2 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cyathium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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