Euphorbia lactea

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Euphorbia lactea
E lactea ies.jpg
Euphorbia lactea - close-up.jpg
Variegated form, Euphorbia lactea 'White Ghost' (below)
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. lactea
Binomial name
Euphorbia lactea

Euphorbia lactea is a species of spurge native to arid and subtropical regions of South Asia, mainly the Indian Subcontinent. [3] Common names include mottled spurge, [4] frilled fan, elkhorn, [5] candelabra spurge, [4] candelabrum tree, candelabra cactus, candelabra plant, dragon bones, [4] false cactus, [4] hatrack cactus, [4] milkstripe euphorbia, mottled candlestick.

Contents

Description

Euphorbia lactea in Kourou, French Guiana. Cactus tronc kourou.jpg
Euphorbia lactea in Kourou, French Guiana.

It is an erect shrub growing up to 5 metres (16 ft) tall, with succulent branches 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) diameter, ridged, with a triangular or rhombic cross-section; the ridges are spiny, with short, permanent spines up to 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long. The leaves are minute, and soon deciduous. [3] All parts of the plant contain a poisonous milky latex, containing several irritating alkaloids, such as phorbol. [6]

Cultivation

60 year old Euphorbia lactea var. Cristata located at the Duke University greenhouse, Durham, USA. Duke euphorbe.jpg
60 year old Euphorbia lactea var. Cristata located at the Duke University greenhouse, Durham, USA.

It is used medicinally in India. [7] It is widely grown as an ornamental plant, both in the tropics, and as a houseplant in temperate regions; a number of cultivars have been selected for ornamental use, notably 'Cristata' with frilled branching. [3] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Euphorbia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.

<i>Euphorbia heterophylla</i> Species of plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to tropical and subtropical America

Euphorbia heterophylla, also known under the common names of Mexican fireplant, painted euphorbia, Japanese poinsettia, paintedleaf, painted spurge and milkweed, is a plant belonging to the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family.

<i>Euphorbia helioscopia</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia helioscopia, the sun spurge or madwoman's milk, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is a herbaceous annual plant, native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and eastward through most of Asia.

<i>Euphorbia cyparissias</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia cyparissias, the cypress spurge, is a species of plant in the genus Euphorbia. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America in the 1860s as an ornamental plant.

<i>Euphorbia myrsinites</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia myrsinites, the myrtle spurge, blue spurge, or broad-leaved glaucous-spurge, is a succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.

<i>Euphorbia tithymaloides</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Euphorbia milii</i> Species of plant

Euphorbia milii, the crown of thorns, Christ plant, or Christ's thorn, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821.

<i>Euphorbia resinifera</i> Species of plant

Euphorbia resinifera, the resin spurge, is a species of spurge native to Morocco, where it occurs on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains. The dried latex of the plant was used in ancient medicine. It contains resiniferatoxin, an extremely potent capsaicin analog tested as an analgesic since 1997.

<i>Euphorbia albomarginata</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family

Euphorbia albomarginata, whitemargin sandmat or rattlesnake weed, is a small low-growing perennial, in the spurge family native to desert, chaparral, and grassland habitats of southwestern North America, from southern and central California to Northern Mexico and Louisiana.

<i>Euphorbia tirucalli</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Euphorbia lathyris</i> Flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia lathyris, the caper spurge or paper spurge, is a species of spurge native to southern Europe, northwest Africa, and eastward through southwest Asia to western China.

<i>Euphorbia ammak</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia ammak, commonly known as giant milk bush, African candelabra and candelabra spurge, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Euphorbia horrida</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia horrida, the African milk barrel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to South Africa. It is a cactus-like shrub showing remarkable similarities to the true cacti of the New World, and thus an example of convergent evolution. Growing to 1.5 m, it has blue-green, heavily ridged spiny stems carrying solitary green flowers in summer. In temperate regions it must be grown in heated conditions under glass.

<i>Euphorbia canariensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphorbiaceae</span> Family of Eudicot flowering plants

Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as Euphorbia paralias, are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as Hevea brasiliensis. Some, such as Euphorbia canariensis, are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. This family has a cosmopolitan global distribution. The greatest diversity of species is in the tropics; however, the Euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas of all continents except Antarctica.

<i>Euphorbia ingens</i> Species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae

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.

<i>Euphorbia dendroides</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Euphorbia cotinifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia cotinifolia is a broadleaf red shrub native to Mexico and South America. Treated as a shrub, it reaches 10 to 15 ft but can be grown as a tree reaching 30 ft (9.1 m). Small white flowers with creamy bracts bloom at the ends of the branches in summer. The purplish stems, when broken, exude a sap that is a skin irritant.

<i>Euphorbia abyssinica</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Euphorbia neriifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia neriifolia, also known as Indian spurge tree, hedge Euphorbia, Oleander spurge and fleshy spurge, is a species of spurge native to India, which was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Leaves from the plant are used in traditional kajal making in West Bengal, India.

References

  1. de Kok, R. (2023). "Euphorbia lactea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023: e.T206406144A206909196. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T206406144A206909196.en . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Huxley, A, ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. ISBN   0-333-47494-5
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Euphorbia lactea". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  5. Euphorbia lactea f. cristata Llifle.com. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  6. Poisonous plants: Euphorbia lactea Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Plant of the Week.org Euphorbia lactea
  8. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk: Euphorbia lactea