Major Euphorbiaceae of India

Sanjeet Kumar
Ravenshaw University
sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com



Major Euphorbiaceae of India

These are trees, shrubs, or herbs, rarely woody or herbaceous lianas, monoecious or dioecious, indumentum of simple, branched, stellate, or gland-tipped hairs, peltate or glandular scales or stinging hairs, latex often present, clear, white, or colored; roots woody, rarely roots tuberous and stems succulent, sometimes spiny.

Leaves alternate or opposite, rarely whorled; stipules usually present, often free, sometimes modified into spines or glands, deciduous or persistent; petioles long to short, sometimes with glands at apex or base; leaf blade simple, sometimes palmately lobed, rarely compound, or reduced to scales, margins entire or toothed, sometimes with distinct glands along margin and/or on surface, venation pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, flowers in cymes or fascicles, these often arranged along an elongated axis, branched or unbranched, forming a thyrse, in congested heads, or in a flowerlike cyathium with very reduced flowers enclosed within a ± cupular involucre; bracts sometimes petaloid.

Flowers unisexual, within same inflorescence or in separate inflorescences, actinomorphic. Sepals (1–)3–6(–8), free or connate into calyx tube, valvate or imbricate, rarely absent (Euphorbia). Petals free, often reduced or absent. Disk present or absent. Male flowers with disk intrastaminal or extrastaminal, entire to dissected. Stamens one to very many, hypogynous; filaments free or connate; anthers 2(–4)-locular, mostly dehiscing longitudinally, rarely transversely or by pores, introrse or extrorse; rudimentary ovary sometimes present.

 

Female flowers rarely with staminodes; ovary superior, (1–)2–5(–20)-locular; placentation axile; ovules 1 or 2 per locule, anatropous or hemitropous; styles free or connate, entire or lobed, or multifid, lobes erect, horizontal or curved; stigma capitate, linear, fimbriate, fan-shaped or pinnatilobate. Fruit typically a capsule elastically dehiscent into 2-valved cocci from a persistent columella, sometimes a berry or drupe. Seeds 1 or 2 per locule; seed coat thin to indurate, sometimes fleshy to form a sarcotesta; caruncle sometimes present; aril sometimes present; endosperm present or absent; embryo straight to curved or folded; cotyledons usually broader than radical. x = 6–14.

Major Plants belong to family Euphorbiaceae in India

  Acalypha indica L.

  Antidesma ghaesembillia Gaertn.

  Baccauria sapida Muell.

  Baliospermum montanum Muell.

  Bredelia retusa Spreng.

 Chrozophora prostrate Salx.

 Chrozophora rottleri Juss.

 Cleidion javanicum Blume.

  Cleistanthus collinus Benth.

 Croton caudatus Geisel.

 Croton oblongifolius Roxb.

 Croton sparsiflorus Morung.

 Croton tiglium L.

 Dimorphocalyx glabellus Thwaites.

 Emblica officinalis Gartn.

 Euphorbia cristata Heyne.

 Euphorbia hirta L.

 Euphorbia microphylla Heyne.

 Euphorbia nerifolia L.

 Homonia riparia Lour.

Jatropha curcas L.

Jatropha gossypifolia L.

Jatropha multifida L.

Jatropha panduraefolia Andr.

Jatropha podagrica Hook.

Macaranga indica Wight.

Mallotus philippinensis Muell.

Mallotus repandus Muell.

Mallotus roxburghianus Muell.

Manihot glaziovii Mull.

Manihot utillissima Pohl.

 Phyllanthus lawii Grah.

 Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.

Ricinus communis L.

Trewia nudiflora L.