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Euphorbia

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Genus: Euphorbia

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Monoecious or rarely dioecious annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or trees, sometimes succulent, many species with milky latex in all parts.

Stems: Main axis of stem abortive above the first pair of true leaves (rarely continuous), the apparent main axes actually sympodia, glabrous to pubescent.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple, reduced or modified. Alternate, opposite, or sometimes whorled. Base equal. Surfaces glabrous or pubescent, green, sometimes those subtending inflorescences red, purple, or white, sometimes caducous, especially in succulent forms. Margins entire or serrate. Petiolate, sessile or subsessile. Stipules present or absent, sometimes connate or glanduliform.

Flowers: Staminate flowers few to numerous per cyathium; pistillate flowers terminal, solitary. Flowers unisexual and highly reduced. Calyx (sepals) absent. Corolla (petals) absent or very reduced. Male flower reduced to a single stamen, with an articulation at junction of pedicel and filament, subtended by slender bracteoles. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers), 3-celled; ovules 1 per cell; styles 3, distinct or connate at base, usually partly bifid.

Fruit: Capsules rarely drupaceous; dehiscent. Seeds usually ovoid; angled or rounded; the surface smooth or variously sculptured; caruncle present or absent; seed coat mucilaginous; smooth to rugose or sulcate; endosperm copious.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Accepted Subtaxa (in Hawai'i) (98)

Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'
Euphorbia adenensis Deflers
Euphorbia albomarginata Torr. & A.Gray
Euphorbia ambovombensis Rauh & Razaf.
Euphorbia ammak Schweinf.
Euphorbia amygdaloides L.
Euphorbia antiquorum L.
Euphorbia arnottiana Endl.
Euphorbia atrococca A.Heller
Euphorbia balsamifera Aiton
Euphorbia baylissii L.C.Leach
Euphorbia bicompacta Bruyns
Euphorbia bongolavensis Rauh
Euphorbia bracteata Jacq.
Euphorbia canariensis L.
Euphorbia celastroides Boiss.
Euphorbia celastroides × Euphorbia multiformis
Euphorbia chamaesyce L.
Euphorbia clusiifolia Hook. & Arn.
Euphorbia cotinifolia L.
Euphorbia cyathophora Murray
Euphorbia cyparissias L.
Euphorbia decaryi Guillaumin
Euphorbia degeneri Sherff
Euphorbia deppeana Boiss.
Euphorbia drupifera Thonn.
Euphorbia eleanoriae (Lorence & W.L.Wagner) Govaerts
Euphorbia fruticosa Forssk.
Euphorbia fulgens Karw. ex Klotzsch
Euphorbia graminea Jacq.
Euphorbia grandicornis Blanc
Euphorbia griseola Pax
Euphorbia haeleeleana D.R.Herbst
Euphorbia halemanui Sherff
Euphorbia herbstii (W.L.Wagner) Oudejans
Euphorbia heterophylla L.
Euphorbia hirta L.
Euphorbia hislopii N.E.Br.
Euphorbia hypericifolia L.
Euphorbia hyssopifolia L.
Euphorbia ingens E.Mey. ex Boiss.
Euphorbia invenusta (N.E.Br.) Bruyns
Euphorbia knobelii Letty
Euphorbia kuwaleana O.Deg. & Sherff
Euphorbia lacei Craib
Euphorbia lactea Haw.
Euphorbia lancifolia Schltdl.
Euphorbia lathyris L.
Euphorbia leucocephala Lotsy
Euphorbia leuconeura Boiss.
Euphorbia lomelii V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia lophogona Lam.
Euphorbia lugardiae (N.E.Br.) Bruyns
Euphorbia maculata L.
Euphorbia marginata Pursh
Euphorbia matabelensis Pax
Euphorbia milii Des Moul.
Euphorbia multiformis Gaudich. ex Hook. & Arn.
Euphorbia multiformis × Euphorbia rockii
Euphorbia murielii N.E.Br.
Euphorbia neococcinea Bruyns
Euphorbia neriifolia L.
Euphorbia nivulia Buch.-Ham.
Euphorbia olowaluana Sherff
Euphorbia ophthalmica Pers.
Euphorbia opuntioides Welw. ex Hiern
Euphorbia parviflora L.
Euphorbia pedilanthoides Denis
Euphorbia peplus L.
Euphorbia plumerioides Teijsm. ex Hassk.
Euphorbia prostrata Aiton
Euphorbia pseudocactus A.Berger
Euphorbia pseudomollis Bruyns
Euphorbia pteroneura A.Berger
Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch
Euphorbia punicea Sw.
Euphorbia remyi A.Gray ex Boiss.
Euphorbia remyi × Euphorbia sparsiflora
Euphorbia resinifera O.Berg
Euphorbia robecchii Pax
Euphorbia rockii C.N.Forbes
Euphorbia seguieriana Neck.
Euphorbia serpens Kunth
Euphorbia skottsbergii Sherff
Euphorbia socotrana Balf.f.
Euphorbia sparsiflora A.Heller
Euphorbia stenoclada Baill.
Euphorbia tanquahuete Sessé & Moc.
Euphorbia tenuispinosa Gilli
Euphorbia thymifolia L.
Euphorbia tirucalli L.
Euphorbia tithymaloides L.
Euphorbia torrei (L.C.Leach) Bruyns
Euphorbia trigona Mill.
Euphorbia umbellata (Pax) Bruyns
Euphorbia vandermerwei R.A.Dyer
Euphorbia viguieri Denis
Euphorbia xylophylloides Brongn. ex Lem.

Uses and Culture

USES

  • C. celastroides (as C. lorifolia) noted as "much used as firewood" by Hillebrand 1888:396; sap used in paint (Krauss 1993:50); leaves and sap medicinal (Chun 1994:25–6).

  • Current studies are looking into the effectiveness of Euphorbia treatment on skin cancers

  • Leaf buds fed to children or to lactating mothers to treat ‘ea and pa‘ao‘ao. To insure or augment mothers‘ milk ‘akoko sap with kalo leaves (taro, Colocasia esculenta), ingested in poi. For the ailment ‘ala‘ala hamani, sap is mixed with powdered ‘ahu‘awa stem as an ointment. Treatment for kohepopo and wai‘opua hinanawe (womens' weakness, debilitation) combines ‘akoko leaf buds, ‘ohi‘a ‘ai bark, mature noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia), kōkea (white sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum), ‘ala‘ala wainui pehu (Peperomia spp.), and pia (Tacca leontopetaloides) (Chun 1994:25–27).

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • Intermediate. Seeds sprout in 1-2 weeks, when 5 cm tall transplant into individual pots; stem tip cuttings of 10 cm from active growing tips w/ mostly green wood, rooting varies from 1 week-3 months, transfer to standard potting mix when new stem growth is obvious (Culliney and Koebele 1999:46–48).

Natural History

Island Status

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • All species noted have sap that contains a physical irritant.
  • Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil plant), Euphorbia milli (Crown of thorns), Euphorbia cotinifolia (Red spurge), Pedilanthus tithymaloides (Slipper flower)

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 450 (1753)

Other References

Poisonous Plant of Paradise (Scott & Thomas) p.131-134

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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