Euphorbia tithymaloides is a perennialsucculentspurge.[3] An erect shrub,[4] 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 tithymaloides).[5][6]
Euphorbia tithymaloides has a large number of household names used by gardeners and the public. Among them are redbird flower,[7]devil's-backbone,[8]redbird cactus, Jewbush, buck-thorn, cimora misha, Christmas candle, fiddle flower, ipecacuahana, Jacob's ladder, Japanese poinsettia, Jew's slipper, milk-hedge, myrtle-leaved spurge, Padus-leaved clipper plant, red slipper spurge, slipper flower, slipper plant, slipper spurge, timora misha, and zig-zag plant.[6][9][10] In other parts of the world, it is known as gin-ryu (Japan); pokok lipan and penawar lipan (Indonesia); airi, baire, and agia "rang chita" (Bengal),(India); aperejo (Yoruba); sapatinho do diabo (Brazil); ítamo real (Cuba and Puerto Rico); pantoufle (France); and zapatilla del diablo (Mexico).[11][12]
Distribution and description
Euphorbia tithymaloides is native to tropical and subtropicalNorth America and Central America. It prefers soil that is sandy, well-drained, and nutrient-rich, particularly with higher concentrations of boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc.[13][14] It is relatively intolerant of high soil salinity levels, but exhibits saline tolerance if well fertilized.[14] The plant tends to be taller and have more biomass if it is well-watered.[14] The plant requires a sunny area to grow in.[13]
The shrub can grow to 1.8 to 2.4 metres (6 to 8ft) in height and generally is about 45 to 60cm (18 to 24in) in width.[15] The leaf is a simpleangiosperm leaf, arranged oppositely on the stem.[4][15] Each leaf is sessile (attaching directly to the plant), and about 35 to 75mm (1.4 to 3in) in length.[4][15] The leaves are glabrous (smooth) and acuminate in shape, with entire (smooth) edges.[4][15] The veins in the leaves are pinnate.[4][15]
The plant terminates in a dichotomous cyme, with a peduncle supporting each flower.[4][15] The floral leaves are bifid (split in two parts) and ovate, while the involucral bracts are bright red, irregularly acuminate in shape (e.g., like a slipper), and about 1.1 to 1.3mm (0.043 to 0.051in) in length with a long, thin tube.[4][15] The flower is void of scent.[16] The male pedicel is hairy, while the female is glabrous.[15] The seed pod is about 7.5mm (0.30in) long and 9mm (0.35in) wide, and ovoid in shape (with truncated ends).[15]
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. jamaicensis(Millsp. & Britton) V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. padifolia(L.) V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. parasitica(Boiss. ex Klotzsch) V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. retusa(Benth.) V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. smallii(Millsp.) V.W.Steinm.
Euphorbia tithymaloides subsp. tithymaloides
Subspecies are usually identifiable by their leaves, which come in several types such as laurel-like and variegated and which can be tinged with white or red.[13][16]
Status as a ring species
In 2012, Cacho and Baum showed that Euphorbia tithymaloides is a ring species, the first example known among the plants.[17] It has reproduced and evolved, spreading in a forked pattern along either side of the Caribbean basin, through Central America and the Caribbean, and meeting again in the Virgin Islands, where the two fronts there reunited appear to be morphologically and ecologically distinct.
Garden and house use
Euphorbia tithymaloides was introduced as a garden plant prior to 1688.[18] The first record of it growing in a garden was in Amsterdam.[18] It is primarily used as an outdoor garden border plant,[12] but certain varieties do well indoors.[13] Because of the plant's toxicity, gardeners are cautioned to wear goggles, gloves, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants.[19] Propagation may be by seed or cutting. Cuttings should be made above a joint, be 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15cm) long, and planted in sandy, nutrient-rich soil and allowed to root before planting.[16] Cuttings should be made in March – April or June – July, and from the middle or top of the main stem.[20]
Municipalities have planted Euphorbia tithymaloides in landfills, toxic waste sites, and along roadsides because it is one of the few plants which can thrive in these more difficult environments.[12][14]
Even minor amounts (a few drops) of the juice of the Euphorbia tithymaloides root can irritate mucosal membranes.[19] When ingested, the irritation of the mucosal membranes of the stomach and intestines will cause nausea and vomiting.[6][19] Topical application causes skin irritation, inflammation, and even blisters.[6][19] If introduced topically to the eye, severe pain, keratoconjunctivitis, and reduced visual acuity occur.[6][19] Ingesting even a few seeds can cause violent and persistent vomiting and extreme diarrhea.[19]
If latex or root juice gets on the skin, the victim should immediately wash with soap and warm water.[19] If latex or juice gets in the eye, continuous rinsing with fresh water should be the first course of action.[19] Topical steroids are indicated for skin or eye contact.[19] Intravenous fluids are often administered to counteract the fluid loss due to vomiting and diarrhea.[19]
Medicinal usage
The root is known to be a powerful emetic.[4][19] A proteolytic enzyme known as pedilanthain can be extracted from the plant's latex, and has been shown in experiments to be effective against intestinal worms and to reduce inflammation when ingested.[19][21] In 1995, a galactose-specific lectin was purified from the plant's latex, and indications are that it might be useful in combatting diabetes mellitus.[22]
In Peru, the plant is known as "cimora misha", "timora misha", or "planta magica". It is sometimes added to drinks made from mescaline-containing Trichocereus cacti (although Euphorbia tithymaloides has no known psychoactive properties).[23] In Bengal, India, the species has been known as "rang chita".[24]
The fast-growing nature of the plant, coupled with its ability to grow in relatively toxic soils, had led scientists in India to investigate its usefulness as a "petrocrop", a plant which could yield biofuel compounds for internal combustion engines.[14][25]
Related Research Articles
Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Euphorbia esula, commonly known as green spurge or leafy spurge, is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe, and eastward through most of Asia north of the Himalaya to Korea and eastern Siberia. It can also be found in some parts of Alaska.
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.
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.
Euphorbia amygdaloides, the wood spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to woodland locations in Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus. It is a bushy evergreen perennial, growing to a height of 80 cm (31 in), with dark green slightly hairy leaves about 6 cm (2 in) long. The complex green-yellow inflorescence (cyathium), typical of Euphorbia, appears in late spring and early summer.
Euphorbia cupularis, referred to by the common name dead-man's tree is a succulent tree or shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini.
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 corollata is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Euphorbiaceae that is native to North America. A common name for the species is flowering spurge. It has a milky sap that can cause skin and eye irritation in some people. It grows up to 1 m (3 ft) tall, with smooth stems and light green leaves arranged alternately or in whorls. Leaves are about 10 mm wide and 75 mm (3 in) long. Each stem terminates in a panicle 20 to 25 mm across. Flowers are about 6 mm across and consist of one pistillate and several staminate flowers surrounded by five white bracts - not petals but formed from the involucre at the base of the flowers. Flowering spurge blooms from June to September.
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.
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.
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 palustris, the marsh spurge or marsh euphorbia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to marshland throughout much of mainland Europe and western Asia. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall and wide, with narrow leaves turning red and yellow in autumn, and persistent, bright acid yellow flower-heads (cyathia), 15 cm (6 in) across, in spring.
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.
Euphorbia royleana is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is also known as Sullu spurge, and Royle's spurge. It is a succulent and almost cactus like in appearance although unrelated. It grows right across the Himalaya mountains from Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal to western China. It prefers dry and rocky slopes between 1000 and 1500 meters, but has been found up to 2000 meters. Flowering and fruiting is in spring to early summer (March–July) and seeding is in June–October. It is used as a hedging plant in northern India and has medicinal uses.
Euphorbia × martini, or Martin's spurge, is a hybrid between two species of flowering plant, E. amygdaloides × E. characias subsp. characias in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It was found growing wild in southern France. Growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall and broad, it is a dwarf evergreen subshrub with narrow grey-green leaves and in late spring and early summer, sprays of lime green flowers, often with a red or maroon eye. It is useful as a spreading, weed-smothering groundcover. Though hardy down to −15 °C (5 °F), it is a Mediterranean plant best grown in a sheltered spot in well-drained soil in full sun.
Euphorbia sieboldiana, the Siebold's spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to eastern Asia, where it is found in China, Japan, Korea, and eastern Russia. Its natural habitat is in grassy areas and forest margins. It is a common species in Japan.
Euphorbia caducifolia is a subtropical succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is found in the arid regions of northwestern Indian subcontinent. In India it is known as the leafless milk hedge.
↑ Sajeva and Costanzo, Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary, 1994, p. 185.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vardhana, Direct Uses of Medicinal Plants and Their Identification, 2008, p. 261.
↑ Steinmann, "The Submersion of Pedilanthus into Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)," Acta Botanica Mexicana, 2003, p. 45.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Spoerke and Smolinske, Toxicity of Houseplants, 1990, p. 181.
↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Pedilanthus tithymaloides". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
↑ Nellis, Poisonous Plants and Animals of Florida and the Caribbean, 1997, p. 182-183.
↑ Balfour, Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia Commercial, Industrial and Scientific..., 1873, p. 77; Strong, The American Flora: Or History of Plants and Wild Flowers, 1850, p. 126; Datta, Systematic Botany, 1988, p. 321.
↑ Quattrocchi, CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, and Etymology, 1990, p. 1987; Torkelson, The Cross Name Index to Medicinal Plants: Common Names, M-Z, 1996, p. 716.
1 2 3 Liogier and Martorell, Flora of Puerto Rico and Adjacent Islands: A Systematic Synopsis, 2000, p. 105.
1 2 3 4 Pienaar, The South African "What Flower Is That?", 2000, p. 253.
1 2 3 4 5 Neumann, Kumar, and Sopory, Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology and Its Applications, 2008, p. 354.
↑ Neumann, Kumar, and Sopory, Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology and Its Applications, 2008, p. 352.
1 2 Khare, Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary, 2007, p. 469.
↑ Van Damme, Handbook of Plant Lectins: Properties and Biomedical Applications, 1998, p. 211; Nagda and Deshmukh, "Hemagglutination Pattern of Galactose Specific Lectin From Pedilanthus tithymaloides in Diabetes Mellitus," Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 1998, 426-428.
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Steinmann, Victor W. "The Submersion of Pedilanthus into Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)." Acta Botanica Mexicana. 2003.
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