| Euphorbia thymifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. thymifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia thymifolia | |
Euphorbia thymifolia, the red caustic-creeper, [2] is a prostrate annual herb of the family Euphorbiaceae [3] [4] . Native to tropical and subtropical America, it grows in seasonally dry tropical biomes and produces milky sap [5] . The plant has velvet-hairy red stems up to 25 cm long, with small ovate leaves and minute cyathia flowers in the leaf axils [6] . Widely used as a traditional medicine in Africa and Asia, it is also harvested as food and traded in local markets [7] .
