Spinach tree (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)

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Identidad taxonómica

Scientific name: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Mill.) I.M.Johnst.
Canonical name: The scientific name without its authorship or date, for example Zea mays instead of Zea mays L.: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
Authorship: The author or authors credited with publishing the scientific name. It is written after the name, sometimes with the year, for example L. (Linnaeus) in Zea mays L. An author in parentheses first published the name in another genus or rank.: (Mill.) I.M.Johnst.
Common names: Spinach tree, Treadsoftly, Tree spinach, cabbage-star, tree-spinach
Names in other languages (16)
Boomspinazie, Chaya, Chaykol, Chicasquil, Mala mujer, Pepaya Jepang, Spinazieboom, Xchay, copapayo, kiki-chay, laec, manioc bâtard, tza, Книдосколус аконитолистный, คะน้าเม็กซิโก, 樹菠菜
Kingdom: One of the broadest ranks of biological classification. It groups organisms that share very basic features, for example plants (Plantae), animals (Animalia) or fungi (Fungi).: Plantae
Phylum: Rank below kingdom that groups organisms with a shared general body plan, for example chordates (Chordata), arthropods (Arthropoda) or vascular plants (Tracheophyta). In botany the same rank is also called division.: Tracheophyta
Class: Rank below phylum, for example mammals (Mammalia), birds (Aves), insects (Insecta) or monocot plants such as grasses and orchids (Liliopsida).: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rank below class that groups related families, for example grasses and their relatives (Poales) or bats (Chiroptera).: Malpighiales
Family: Rank below order that groups related genera. Family names usually end in -aceae in botany (for example Poaceae, the grass family) and in -idae in zoology (for example Felidae, the cat family).: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Rank that groups closely related species. Its name is the first word of a species' scientific name and starts with a capital letter, for example Zea in Zea mays.: Cnidoscolus
Specific epithet: The second word of a species' scientific name. On its own it does not name the species: it always goes with the genus, for example mays in Zea mays.: aconitifolius
Taxonomic rank: The level a name occupies in the hierarchy of biological classification, such as kingdom, family, genus, species or subspecies.: species
Reference species: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
Taxonomic status: Whether the taxonomic catalogue the record comes from currently accepts this name for the organism, or treats it as a synonym of another accepted name or as doubtful.: accepted name

Photos and conservation status

IUCN Red List category: The extinction-risk category that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assigns to a species on its Red List. EX Extinct: there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. EW Extinct in the wild: it survives only in cultivation, in captivity or as a population far outside its past range. CR Critically endangered, EN Endangered and VU Vulnerable: the three threatened categories, from an extremely high to a high risk of extinction in the wild. NT Near threatened: close to qualifying as threatened. LC Least concern: evaluated and not threatened. DD Data deficient: there is not enough information to assess its risk. NE Not evaluated: not yet assessed against the criteria. It describes the risk of the species worldwide, not its situation in a project's area.: Not available.

No photos have been requested for this species yet.

Interacciones documentadas

GloBI says it is documented somewhere in the world. Biolitica answers whether it could happen here.

A documented interaction means it was recorded somewhere in the world. It does not mean it occurs here.

Types shown: 5 of 5 has its flowers visited by × is eaten by × interacts with × is a host of × is a symbiont of ×

Blocks that do not sit under a navigation concept heading keep the source's own term: no navigation concept has been assigned to them yet.

Flower visit

has its flowers visited by 5 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. Visiting a flower is not pollinating it. «Pollinates» is a different term and a different block, and merging the two is the measured defect that turned ~88 shared «pollinators» into birds and primates.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Mexican Pitted-Stingless bee Nannotrigona perilampoides Apidae	has its flowers visited by	2	not compared
2 sources · 2 records https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6368195 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · May 23, 2017 · Human observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40725379 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · May 23, 2017 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Cassius Blue Leptotes cassius Lycaenidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169260172 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 24, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Electrostrymon angelia Lycaenidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/290017734 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 15, 2025 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Horace's Duskywing Erynnis horatius Hesperiidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169257913 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 24, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 5, by number of studies See more of this type

is eaten by 4 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Heraclides rumiko	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169843171 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 27, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Ganyra josephina josepha Pieridae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/170896302 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 28, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Zilpa Longtail Chioides zilpa Hesperiidae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169843166 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 27, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Yellow-angled Sulphur Anteos maerula Pieridae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169843175 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 27, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 4, by number of studies

interacts with 4 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Ello Sphinx Erinnyis ello Sphingidae	interacts with	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/145610796 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Jan. 1, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Louisiana Painted-Dark bee Stelis louisae Megachilidae	interacts with	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71614297 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 11, 2019 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Dielis trifasciata Scoliidae	interacts with	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13297683 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · June 10, 2018 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Falconia semirasa Miridae	interacts with	1	no location
1 source · 2 records PBI: Phytophagous Insects as a Model Group for Documenting Planetary Biodiversity (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae, Phylinae). Version: 2016-03-08. National Science Foundation grant DBI#0316495 Published in globalbioticinteractions/arthropodEasyCaptureAMNH Record contexts (sample): Road up East Side, Vulcan de Colima · Jan. 6, 1972 · Preserved specimen; Road up East Side, Vulcan de Colima · Jan. 6, 1972 · LabelObservation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 4, by number of studies

is a host of 2 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. In the source ontology symbiosis covers mutualism, commensalism and parasitism alike, so this block holds attackers and allies side by side.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Uromyces oaxacanus Pucciniaceae	is a host of	2	not compared
2 sources · 2 records https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=4393134 Published in globalbioticinteractions/mycoportal Context: Intercepted Aguadilla, PR leaving from Puerto Rico; collection date is actually date of interception; collector is inspector · March 5, 201… https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=4393135 Published in globalbioticinteractions/mycoportal Context: Intercepted Aguadilla, PR leaving from Puerto Rico; collection date is actually date of interception; collector is inspector · March 22, 20… A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
gurkbrand Corynespora cassiicola Corynesporascaceae	is a host of	1	no location
1 source · 1 record Peregrine, W.T.H., and Ahmad, K.B.. 1982. Brunei: A first annotated list of plant diseases and associated organisms.. Phytopathol. Pap. 27:1-87 Published in globalbioticinteractions/usda-fungus-host Context: Brunei Darussalam · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 2 of 2, by number of studies

is a symbiont of 1 organism

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Fungi Including Lichens Fungi	is a symbiont of	1	no location	Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at kingdom level.
1 source · 2 records Perez TM, Valverde-Barrantes O, Bravo C, Taylor CC, Fadrique B, Hogan JA, Pardo CJ, Stroud JT, Baraloto C, Feeley KJ. 2018. Botanic gardens are an untapped resource for studying the functional traits of tropical plants. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 374: 201… Published in globalbioticinteractions/fred Record contexts (sample): no place published · no date published; no place published · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

Interaction data from Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI), GloBI 0.11. Each row keeps the citation its own study published.

Interactions are published at species level: they are not resolved by variety or race.

Each block is headed by the source's own term, read from this species' end — not by a category of ours. Two similar terms are not merged.

«Documented here» means the interaction was observed in this territory. It is not evidence that the species is here, and it does not enter the niche model.

Acompañantes documentados

This agronomic reading comes from a source reserved for internal use, so it is not shown here.

Documented uses and recommendations

Uses and recommendations that a source documents for this species beside a crop, each in its own context. They are the source's statements, not traits of the species and not Biolítica's recommendations, and none of them is a relation between two species.

Among the sources you can read, none documents a use or recommendation of this species beside a crop.