Euphorbiaceae

{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Spurge family | image = Aleuritesmoluccana1web.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Candlenut tree(Aleurites moluccana) | regnum = Plantae | divisio = Magnoliophyta | classis = Magnoliopsida | ordo = Malpighiales | familia = Euphorbiaceae | familia_authority = Juss. | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision =

• Acalyphoideae
• Crotonoideae
• Euphorbioideae

For a detailed taxonomy to the genus level, see
Taxonomy of the Euphorbiaceae. }}

The Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) is a large family of flowering plantswith 240 genera and around 6,000 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubsor trees. Some are succulentand resemble cacti.

This family occurs mainly in the tropics, with the majority of the species in the Indo-Malayanregion and tropical Americaa good second. There is a large variety in tropical Africa, but it is not as abundant or varied as in the two tropical regions. However, Euphorbia also has many speciesin non-tropical areas such as the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South Africaand southern USA.

The leavesare alternate, seldom opposite, with stipules. They are mainly simple, but where compound, are always palmate, never pinnate. Stipules may be reduced to hairs, glands, or spines.

The radially symmetrical flowersare unisexual, with the male and the female flowers usually occurring on the same plant. As can be expected from such a large family, there is a wide variety in the structure of the flowers. They can be monoeciousor dioecious. The stamens(the male organs) can number from 1 to 10 (or even more). The female flowers are hypogynous, that is, with a superior ovary.

Image:Chamaesyce cyathia.jpg The genera, Euphorbia and Chamaesyce, show a highly specialized form of inflorescencecalled a cyathium. This is usually a small cup-like involucreconsisting of peripheral horseshoe-shaped nectaries surrounding a ring of male flowers, each a single stamen. In the middle of the cyathium stands a female flower: a single pistilwith branched stigmas. This whole arrangement resembles a single flower.

The fruitis usually a schizocarp, sometimes a drupe. A typical schizocarp is the regma, a capsular fruit with three or more cells, each of which splits open at maturity into separate parts and then breaks away explosively, scattering the small seeds.

The family contains a large variety of phytotoxins(toxic substances produced by plants), mainly diterpene esters, alkaloids, glycosides, and ricin-type toxins.

A milky sapor latexis a characteristic of the subfamilies Euphorbioideae and Crotonoideae. This milky sap is poisonousin the Euphorbioideae, innocuous in the Crotonoideae. White mangrove (Excoecaria agallocha), or Blind-Your-Eye Mangrove sap causes blistering on contact and temporary blindness if it contacts the eyes. Other common names are Milky Mangrove, Buta Buta (Malay), Gewa (Bangladesh).

Uses

A number of plants of the Spurge family are of considerable economic importance. Prominent plants include manioc, the Castor bean, and the Para rubber tree. Many are grown as ornamental plants, such as poinsettia(Euphorbia pulcherrima).

References

• Data from GRIN Taxonomy
• Euphorbiaceaein L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.http://delta-intkey.comda:Vortemælk-familien

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbiaceae Wikipedia article Euphorbiaceae.