Euphorbia dendroides | |
---|---|
Euphorbia dendroides on the Mediterranean | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
Genus: | Euphorbia |
Species: | E. dendroides |
Binomial name | |
Euphorbia dendroides | |
Euphorbia dendroides, also known as tree spurge, is a small tree or large shrub of the family Euphorbiaceae that grows in semi-arid and mediterranean climates.
Euphorbia dendroides has a wide distribution throughout the Mediterranean Sea, from the Balearic Islands in the west to the Aegean Islands in the east. It is found primarily in Europe and is restricted to northern Tunisia in North Africa. [1] [3] This plant is sensitive to frost, so it only grows on protected and sunny mountainsides in hilly areas. It has been introduced to other countries out of its original range as an ornamental tree.
This bush also has uses in traditional medicine; like many other species of genus Euphorbia [4] its toxic white and sticky sap has been used to treat skin excrescences, like cancers, tumors, and warts since ancient times.
Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Euphorbia mellifera, the Canary spurge or honey spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is an evergreen shrub or tree growing to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall and broad, with narrow leaves up to 20 cm (8 in) long. In spring it produces brown, honey-scented flowers.
Erica arborea, the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an ornamental.
Euphorbia tithymaloides is a perennial succulent spurge. An erect shrub, the plant is also known by the scientific name Pedilanthus tithymaloides. However, the genus Pedilanthus has been subsumed into the genus Euphorbia, and is more correctly known by its new name.
Euphorbia tirucalli is a tree native to Africa that grows in semi-arid tropical climates. A hydrocarbon plant, it produces a poisonous latex that can cause temporary blindness.
Quercus faginea, the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treated as a distinct species, Quercus tlemcenensis. It occurs in mountains from sea level to 1,900 metres above sea level, and flourishes in a variety of soils and climates. Out of all the oak forests in the Iberian Peninsula, the southern populations of Portuguese oak were found to have the highest diversity and endemism of spider species.
Euphorbia peplus, is a species of Euphorbia, native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens and other disturbed land.
Euphorbia arbuscula is a species of plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It is endemic to the archipelago of Socotra in Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Euphorbia margalidiana is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, endemic to the Balearic Islands, where its natural habitats are Mediterranean Matorral shrubland vegetation and rocky shores. An evergreen perennial or subshrub growing to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) tall and broad, It bears yellow-green flowers over a long period in the summer. It is particularly valued in cultivation for its tolerance of a wide range of conditions, including drought. Though hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F) it grows best in mild areas.
Palmaria is an Italian island situated in the Ligurian Sea, at the westernmost end of the Gulf of La Spezia. With an area of 1.6 square kilometres (0.6 sq mi), it is the largest island of an archipelago of three closely spaced islands jutting from the mainland at Portovenere. The outer islands, Tino and the tiny Tinetto, lie further south.
Euphorbia canariensis, commonly known as the Canary Island spurge, Hercules club or in Spanish cardón, is a succulent member of the genus Euphorbia and family Euphorbiaceae endemic to the Canary Islands. It is the plant symbol of the island of Gran Canaria.
Euphorbia ingens is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to dry areas of southern Africa. It is popularly known as the candelabra tree or naboom. Its milky latex can be extremely poisonous and is a dangerous irritant.
Euphorbia balsamifera is a flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is distributed in the Canary Islands and the western Sahara. It is the vegetable symbol of the island of Lanzarote. Euphorbia adenensis has been treated as a subspecies of this species.
Euphorbia characias, the Mediterranean spurge or Albanian spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae typical of the Mediterranean vegetation. It is an upright, compact evergreen shrub growing to 1.2 m tall and wide.
Quercus rotundifolia, the holm oak or ballota oak, is an evergreen oak native to the western Mediterranean region, with the majority of the population in the Iberian Peninsula and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1785. It is the typical species of the Iberian dehesa or montado, where its sweet-astringent acorns are a source of food for livestock, particularly the Iberian pig. Its acorns have also been used for human nourishment since the Neolithic era. It is placed in section Ilex. Some authors described it as a subspecies of Quercus ilex.
Euphorbia stygiana is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Euphorbiaceae, endemic to several islands of the Azores. It has a critically endangered subspecies with only 20 known remaining mature individuals in the wild.
Euphorbia abyssinica, commonly known as the desert candle or candelabra spurge, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. E. abyssinica is endemic to Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. It was first described in 1791, by the German botanist Johann Friedrich Gmelin. In its native habitat, it can grow up to 10 m (33 ft) tall. The woody stem is used for firewood and as timber in roofing, furniture and other items, and the sap is used in traditional medicine. It is also cultivated as an ornamental house plant.
Euphorbia tuckeyana is a species of flowering plants of the family Euphorbiaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde. The species is named after James Hingston Tuckey. Its local name is tortolho. The plants are used for tanning hides. As most other succulent members of the genus Euphorbia, its trade is regulated under Appendix II of CITES.
Euphorbia lamarckii is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the western Canary Islands. It resembles Euphorbia regis-jubae, with which it has been confused. Both have been called Euphorbia obtusifolia.
Euphorbia regis-jubae is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the eastern Canary Islands, western Morocco, north-western Western Sahara. In Spanish, it is known as tabaiba morisca. It has often been confused with Euphorbia lamarckii. The specific epithet regis-jubae, meaning 'King Juba's euphorbia' honours the king's contributions to natural history and his role in bringing the genus to notice. The palm tree genus Jubaea is also named after Juba.