EUPHORBIACEAE

(SPURGE FAMILY)
 SYSTEMATIC POSITION

• CLASS : DICOTYLEDONS
• SUBCLASS : MONOCHLAMYDEAE
• SERIES : UNISEXUALES
• FAMILY : EUPHORBIACEAE
INTRODUCTION
• A family of about 313 genera and 8100 species
(Mabberley, 1997).
• It is cosmopolitan in distribution, but mainly
confined to the tropics
DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS
• Presence of milky or watery latex
• Leaves simple or compound, usually alternate and stipulate
• Flowers unisexual and monochlamydeous
• Inflorescence of various types: raceme, cyme, or cyathium
• Tricarpellary, syncarpous, trilocular and superior ovary with
ovules on axile placenta
• Fruit is a regma or berry
• Seeds are carunculate
 Common plants
• Acalypha indica Acalypha hispida Bridelia retusa
…Common plants
• Codiaeum variegatum Croton bonplandianus
…Common plants
• Euphorbia hirta Euphorbia pulcherrima
 …Common plants
• Euphorbia tirucalli Excoecaria agallocha Hevea brasiliensis
…Common plants
Homonoia riparia Jatropha curcas
…Common plants
Macaranga peltata Manihot esculenta
…Common plants
Phyllanthus amarus Phyllanthus emblica
…Common plants
Ricinus communis Tragia hispida
 HABIT
• Herbs, shrubs or trees
• Euphorbia hirta, Phyllanthus amarus, etc. are herbs
• Ricinus is a shrub
• Hevea, Macaranga, etc. are trees
• Tragia is a climber
• Most members are mesophytes but some are
xerophytes. Euphorbia tirucalli is a xerophyte with
fleshy green stem and small caducous leaves
• Excoecaria is a mangrove plant
 ROOT & STEM
• ROOTS – Normal tap root.
Roots are tuberous in Manihot
esculenta
• STEM – Herbaceous or woody,
erect or prostrate
• In Euphorbia tirucalli, the stem
is modified as cladodes or
phylloclades for photosynthetic
purpose
 LEAVES
• Usually simple, alternate and stipulate.
• It is opposite in Euphorbia hirta
• Sometimes, leaves get reduced to
spines e.g., Euphorbia neriifolia
• They are palmately lobed in Ricinus,
Jatropha and palmately compound in
Hevea
• Leaves are variegated in Codiaeum,
but those near the inflorescence are
coloured in Euphorbia pulcherrima
INFLORESCENCE
• Inflorescence is highly variable in this
family. Flowers are in axillary clusters
in Phyllanthus, panicles in Ricinus,
cymes in Jatropha, branched spike in
Antidesma, and drooping catkin in
Acalypha.
• Inflorescence is a highly specialized
cyathium in Euphorbia
FLOWERS
• Small, bracteates, unisexual,
monoecious or dioecious,
hypogynous, monochlamydeous
and actinomorphic or rarely
slightly zygomorphic.
• But, the male flowers of Croton
are dichlamydeous while both
the male and female flowers of
Euphorbia are achlamydeous
PERIANTH
• Consists of 5 sepaloid and much reduced tepals
• Tepals are absent in the species of Euphorbia
where the inflorescence is a cyathium
• Sometimes, perianth is differentiated into calyx
and corolla in the male flower of Croton and
Jatropha.
• Tepals are free and partially imbricate or valvate
MALE FLOWER - ANDROECIUM
• Stamens vary from one e.g., Euphorbia to
numerous, free or united by filaments into one
bundle (Monadelphous as in Phyllanthus) or into
several bundles (Polyadelphous as in Ricinus)
• Anthers are 2-celled
• Opening is longitudinal, transverse or by apical
pores
• Intrastaminal disc and pistillode usually present
FEMALE FLOWER - GYNOECIUM
• Tricarpellary, syncarpous,
trilocular and superior ovary,
with one or two pendulous
ovules on axile placenta.
• Styles are 3, distint or basally
connate, each often 2-lobed.
• Stigma are 3 or 6, papillate
or dissected into filiform
segments
 FRUITS
• Schizocarpic capsule, sometimes drupe or berry
• It is a regma in Hevea
 SEEDS
• Seeds are carunculate
The caruncle is a structure present
in the micropylar region of
Euphorbiaceae seeds. This structure
has the ecological function of
promoting seed dispersal by ants
(myrmecochory)
 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Commercial:
• Hevea brasiliensis is the source of para rubber while
Manihot glaziovii is the source of ceara rubber
Edible:
• Manihot esculenta is cultivated for its large tuberous
roots, which makes valuable foodstuff
Medicinal:
• Phyllanthus amarus is used in Jaundice and
urino-genital infections
• Fruits of Phyllanthus emblica, an ingredient of
‘thriphala’, are used as pickle and also for its
medicinal properties
• Castor oil produced from Ricinus
communis is used as a strong
purgative and in industries
• Roots of Euphorbia hirta is taken
by tribals to check vomiting
• Seeds of Jatropha curcas yield an
oil which is used externally to
cure skin diseases
Ornamental:

•Euphorbia pulcherrima, Codiaeum

variegatum etc. are ornamentals
Myth:
• Wood of Euphorbia
antiquorum is
supposed to possess
the power for warding
off lightning strokes
(Myth)
THANK YOU