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Painted spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla)

Dlium Painted spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla)

Painted spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla) is a plant species in the Euphorbiaceae, taproot and white, 30-100 cm high, stems erect, hollow, branched, highly adapted to various habitats, producing latex which has reactions and causes toxicity.

E. heterophylla has cylindrical, angular, segmented, smooth, green and hollow stems. Leaves vary in shape, 5-7 cm long, 2-31 cm wide. The lower leaves are alternate and green in color, while the upper leaves are opposite and generally have a whitish or bright red base, flat edge, tapered tip, rhizome base, pinnate veins and flat stalks.







This plant produces flowers in 30 days and mature seeds form in 25-30 days. Cyathia or fake flowers are in clusters at the head of the stalk and are yellowish green in color and have no petals.

Compound flowers, arranged in bowls, clustered, invulukrum, 1-2 cm long and capsule-shaped. Fruit rounded, 3-5 mm long and green. Seeds round, hard and black. The ripe fruit will burst and throw the seeds away from the mother plant so the plant spreads.

This species is found from sea level to an elevation of 1400 meters. It usually grows in villages, roadsides, river banks and stunted areas. Prefers areas with rainfall above 1100 mm/year and well-structured, fertile soil.

Plants contain alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, sterols, quinones, coumarins, terpenoids, stigmasterols, benzoic acids and phlATANins. The plant produces latex which causes toxicity, including dermatitis and anaphylaxis. Often used to prevent anemia, nourish the heart, detoxify, prevent cancer, anti-inflammatory, smooth and clean digestion and diet medicine.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Euphorbieae
Subtribe: Euphorbiinae
Genus: Euphorbia L. in Sp. Pl.: 450 (1753)
Subgenus: Chamaesyce
Section: Poinsettia
Species: Euphorbia heterophylla L. in Sp. Pl.: 453 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cyathophora heterophyla (L.) Raf. in Fl. Tellur. 4: 117 (1838)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. genuina Boiss. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 72 (1862)
Poinsettia heterophylla (L.) Klotzsch & Garcke in Monatsber. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1859: 253 (1859)
Tithymalus heterophyllus (L.) Haw. in Syn. Pl. Succ.: 141 (1812)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Agaloma angustifolia Raf. (1838)
Cyathophora ciliata Raf. (1838)
Cyathophora picta Raf. (1838)
Euphorbia angustifolia Lockh. ex G.Don in R.Sweet, Sweet's Hort. Brit., ed. 3.: 598 (1839)
Euphorbia aureocincta Croizat in J. Arnold Arbor. 24: 181 (1943)
Euphorbia calyciflora Sessé & Moc. in Fl. Mexic., ed. 2: 123 (1894)
Euphorbia epilobiifolia W.T.Wang in Acta Bot. Yunnan. 10: 46 (1988)
Euphorbia frangulifolia Kunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 2: 62 (1817)
Euphorbia geniculata Ortega in Nov. Pl. Descr. Dec.: 18 (1797)
Euphorbia havanensis Willd. ex Boiss. (1862)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. brasiliensis Müll.Arg. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 11(2): 695 (1874)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. eriocarpa Millsp. in Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 2: 230 (1889)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. geniculata (Ortega) M.Gómez in Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 23: 46 (1894)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. heterophylla
Euphorbia heterophylla f. hirticaulis Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(2): 286 (1898)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. linifolia Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 605 (1891)
Euphorbia linifolia Vahl in Symb. Bot. 2: 53 (1791)
Euphorbia lockhartii Steud. in Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2. 1: 613 (1840)
Euphorbia morisoniana Klotzsch in B.Seemann, Bot. Voy. Herald: 100 (1853)
Euphorbia pandurata Huber in Cat. Gen. 1871-1872: 3 (1871)
Euphorbia prunifolia Jacq. in Pl. Hort. Schoenbr. 3: 15 (1798)
Euphorbia prunifolia var. angustifolia Müll.Arg. (1874)
Euphorbia prunifolia var. genuina Müll.Arg. (1874)
Euphorbia prunifolia var. repanda Müll.Arg. (1874)
Euphorbia prunifolia f. silvatica Chodat & Hassl. in Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 679 (1905)
Euphorbia taiwaniana S.S.Ying in Coloured Ill. Fl. Taiwan 2: 685 (1987)
Euphorbia trachyphylla A.Rich. in R.de la Sagra, Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 11: 198 (1850)
Poinsettia frangulifolia (Kunth) Klotzsch & Garcke (1859)
Poinsettia geniculata (Ortega) Klotzsch & Garcke (1859)
Poinsettia havanensis Small in Fl. S.E. U.S.: 722 (1903)
Poinsettia morisoniana (Klotzsch) Klotzsch & Garcke (1859)
Poinsettia prunifolia (Jacq.) Klotzsch & Garcke (1859)
Poinsettia ruiziana Klotzsch & Garcke in Abh. Königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1859: 102 (1860)
Poinsettia taiwaniana (S.S.Ying) S.S.Ying in Coloured Ill. Fl. Taiwan 4: 761 (1992)
Tithymalus prunifolius (Jacq.) Haw. (1812)

PUBLICATIONS

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George, A.S., Orchard, A.E. & Hewson, H.J. (eds.) (1993). Oceanic islands 2. Flora of Australia 50: 1-606. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

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Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Hassler, M. & Muer, T. (2022). Flora Germanica: alle Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands in Text und Bild 1: 1-864. Verlag Regionalkultur, Uberstadt-Weiher.

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Mehboob-ur-Rahman (2012). Wild plants of Swat, Pakistan 1: 1-281. Department of botany, govt. Jehanzeb post graduate college.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

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Sheppard, C.R.C. & Seaward, M.R.D. (eds.) (1999). Ecology of the Chagos archipelago: 1-350. Westbury Academic & Scientific Publishing, Otley.

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Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666. Missouri Botanical Garden.

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da Silva, O.L.M., Cordeiro, I. & Caruzo, M.B.R. (2014). Synopsis of Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Phytotaxa 181: 193-215.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Gekleurde euphorbia, Wilde poinsettia
Alor: Daun pok-pok
Chinese (simplified): 白苞猩猩草
Chinese (traditional): 白苞猩猩草 - 柳葉大戟 - 白苞猩猩草
English: Painted spurge, Katemas, Japanese poinsettia, Fiddler's spurge, Annual poinsettia, Painted euphorbia, Painted leaf, Paintleaf, Milkweed, Mole plant, Desert poinsettia, Wild poinsettia, Wild spurge, Lesser green poinsettia
Finnish: Liekkityräkki
French: Herbe de lait, Euphorbe hétérophylle
Hebrew: חלבלוב קעור
Hong Kong: 白苞猩猩草 - 柳葉大戟
Indonesian: Kate mas, Katemas, Patik mas
Japanese: ショウジョウソウモドキ
Java: Kate mas, Sunduk mentul, Godhong susu
Kannada: Bhedisoppu, Beedi soppu, Halalubu
Macao: 白苞猩猩草 - 柳葉大戟
Madura: Dhaun susu
Malaysia: Pekapar
Marathi: Dudhi
Melayu: Daun susu, Pekapar
Portuguese: Leiteira, Amendoim-Brabo
Russian: Молочай разнолистный
Slovak: Mliečnik rôznolistý
Spanish: Golondrina, Lechero
Taiwan: 白苞猩猩草
Thai: คาเทมาส - ลูกเขยตายแม่ยายทำศพ
Turkish: Cin Sütleğen
Vietnam: Lá sữa

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