Why Euphorbia?

Well, why not? Is there a more diverse, more spectacular or more beautiful genus?

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A word of caution!

All Euphorbia contain toxic sap!! The impact of toxicity of the Euphorbia sap varies with different varieties and in some cases can cause serious impairment (even though death from Euphorbia sap has never recorded!!) Handle Euphorbia genus with extreme caution - wear gloves, mask and glasses to avoid accidental ingestion.

So what makes you fall in love with this genus? Honestly, for a plant collector, the sheer variance of the forms - spurges, globular, bushy, caudiciform, etc along with the very wide diversity of locations and climate that these are found at - cold snowy regions of Himalayas & Siberia, cold desert terrains of Mongolia, sea shores of the Mediterraneans, arid lands of Sahara desert, rain intensive forest cover, slopes of Madagascar, etc. You can find Euphorbia growing probably in every climate and in every nook & cranny of this planet. They range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. You can find them as weeds that are near impossible to get rid of and you can live your entire life trying to acquire some extremely rare ones that are nigh impossible to even see being offered for sale.

What makes this genus a real darling is the fact that it almost always has bright shiny primarily yellow flowers, which by the way is the most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. Considered as the most attention-getting color, yellow is also associated most with happiness, and optimism, of enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring.

Couple these facts with the sheer will to survive of Euphorbia!! I call Euphorbia a बद्तमीज़ plant - refuses to die unless literally drowned. In its natural habitat, just cut off a piece of its branch and throw it on the ground; rest assured it wont die and when favorable conditions arrive, it will grow roots and establish itself as a new plant.

Euphorbia can be as beautiful as any other cactus in bloom, any other succulent in a clump, any other caudiciform in shape, any Agave in a rosette or as hard to grow as any other difficult plant to grow in cultivation. Have you seen the hybridisation work being carried out on Euphorbia francoisii plants across the world - the colors and leaf shapes being developed? In coming times, Euphorbia francoisii, in all probability, would be the plant most cherised by all plant lovers and growers alike be it novices or experts.

The genus is mainly described by properties of its members' gene sequences, or by the shape and form (morphology) of its heads of flowers. When viewed as a whole, the head of flowers looks like a single flower (a pseudanthium). It has a unique kind of pseudanthium, called a cyathium, where each flower in the head is reduced to its barest essential part needed for sexual reproduction. The individual flowers are either male or female, with the male flowers reduced to only the stamen, and the females to the pistil. These flowers have no sepals, petals, or other parts that are typical of flowers in other kinds of plants. Structures supporting the flower head and other structures underneath have evolved to attract pollinators with nectar, and with shapes and colors that function in a way petals and other flower parts do in other flowers. (Source: Wikipedia)

Put all the above together and what you have is a genus which is not only coveted but immensely cherished by hobbyists. And some other interesting facts about Euphorbia:

• The botanical name Euphorbia derives from Euphorbos, the Greek physician of King Juba II of Numidia (52–50 BC – 23 AD), who married the daughter of Anthony and Cleopatra. Juba was a prolific writer on various subjects, including natural history. Euphorbos wrote that one of the cactus-like euphorbias (now called Euphorbia obtusifolia ssp. regis-jubae) was used as a powerful laxative. In 12 BC, Juba named this plant after his physician Euphorbos, as Augustus Caesar had dedicated a statue to the brother of Euphorbos, Antonius Musa, who was the personal physician of Augustus. In 1753, botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus assigned the name Euphorbia to the entire genus in the physician's honor. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Consists of approximately 2000 species. According to a 2002 publication on studies of DNA sequence data, most of the smaller "satellite genera" around the huge genus Euphorbia nest deep within the latter. Consequently, these taxa, namely the never generally accepted genus Chamaesyce, as well as the smaller genera Cubanthus, Elaeophorbia, Endadenium, Monadenium, Synadenium, and Pedilanthus were transferred to Euphorbia. The entire subtribe Euphorbiinae now consists solely of the genus Euphorbia. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Has one of the largest ranges of chromosome counts, along with Rumex and Senecio.

• Only genus of plants that has all three kinds of photosynthesis - CAM, C3 and C4. CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism), C3 and C4 are the only known three photosynthetic processes of carbon fixation in plants. More on this later in the blog.

• The majority of species are monoecious (bearing male and female flowers on the same plant), although some are dioecious with male and female flowers occurring on different plants.

An unassuming weed in Euphorbia genus that is an astonishing species:

Euphorbia hirta: Sometimes called asthma-plant, is a pantropical weed, originating from the tropical regions of the Americas. It is a hairy herb that grows in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways in the warmer regions of India as an introduced species. It is used in traditional herbal medicine for female disorders, respiratory ailments (cough, coryza, bronchitis, and asthma), worm infestations in children, dysentery, jaundice, pimples, gonorrhea, digestive problems, and tumors. It is reported to contain alkanes, triterpenes, phytosterols, tannins, polyphenols, and flavanoids.

There are about 200 species of Euphorbia native to India. Some of these have now started to find their way into collections and is leading to their exploitation for their habitat. One such species which goes by the tradename Euphorbia khandalensis is Euphorbia fusiformis that has seen widespread poaching of this plant from its natural habitat and gained entry into private collections worldwide. Euphorbia fusiformis has one of the largest tuberous root stocks in this genus and its nomenclature refers to its fusiformed root. Called “Ban-Muli” by the native people, it is said to be used in various medicinal concoctions, its latex as an antidote for snake and scorpion bites and tuber pulp as a cure for arthritic pains. What really though, sets it apart from others are the beautiful red dots or spots on its leaves which makes it a very attractive showcase plant in any private collection and also makes it a prime candidate for hybridising with other species to get even more attractive hybrids.

Other Indian species to have found their way into private collections include Euphorbia royleana, Euphorbia neriifolia, Euphorbia caudicifolia, Euphorbia vajravelui, Euphorbia acaulis, Euphorbia nana, Euphorbia humilis, Euphorbia nivulia, Euphorbia kadapensis, a new species described in 2014 from Kadapa district in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Euphorbia venkatarajui, described in 2017 from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, Euphorbia antiquorum, etc.

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