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Useful Tropical Plants

Euphorbia plagiantha

Drake

Euphorbiaceae

+ Synonyms

Euphorbia fiha Decary

Tirucalia plagiantha (Drake) P.V.Heath

Common Name:

Euphorbia plagiantha
Cultivated plant at the Botanical Garden of Neuchatel, Switzerland
Photograph by: Qwertzy2
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Euphorbia plagiantha Euphorbia plagiantha Euphorbia plagiantha

General Information

Euphorbia plagiantha is an evergreen, succulent tree.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials.
This species has a large extent of occurrence (43,195.4 km²) and large area of occupancy (20,607.2 km²). It is recorded from 18 localities and comprises four to seven subpopulations. There are some threats (habitat degradation, fire, habitat clearing for charcoal), but these do not yet trigger a threatened status. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

Although we have seen no specific information for this plant, the latex in most, if not all Euphorbias is caustic and toxic - skin contact often causing irritation and blistering; contact with the eyes causing temporary or even permanent blindness; whilst ingestion can cause purging or more severe problems[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Botanical References


Range

Africa - southern Madagascar.

Habitat

Bushland[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
],

Properties

Conservation StatusLeast Concern
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The steam of leafy twigs in boiling water is inhaled to treat asthma[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

The thick latex is used as glue for wood and paper[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

This species is used at a subsistence level as a source of timber and charcoal[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings root easily. They need to be stored in light shade for a few days to dry before being planted, or else they will rot. It is best to plant the cuttings when the rain is about to stop, in a well-drained soil[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euphorbia+plagiantha>

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