''Euphorbia prostrata'' is a species of
spurge
''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...
known by the common name prostrate spurge or prostrate sandmat.
It is native to the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and certain parts of
South America. It is widely
naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
in many other parts of the world, where it can be found in varied habitat types and in many areas grows as a roadside weed.
Description
''Euphorbia prostrata'' is an annual herb producing slender prostrate stems up to approximately long, sometimes purple-tinted in color. The oval-shaped leaves are up to long with finely toothed edges.
The
inflorescence is a
cyathium less than wide, with white petal-like appendages surrounding the actual flowers. There are four male flowers and a single female flower, the latter developing into a lobed, hairy fruit wide.
''E. prostrata'' is similar to both ''
Euphorbia maculata
''Euphorbia maculata'', known as spotted spurge, prostrate spurge (not to be confused with ''Euphorbia prostrata''), ''milk purslane'', or ''spotted sandmat'', is a fast-growing annual plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. While it is native to N ...
'' and ''
Euphorbia serpens'', but is often hairy on the leaves and stems, while the latter two species are often smooth. It differs from ''E. maculata'' by its less elongated and less lanceolate leaves. ''E. serpens'' by contrast has much more rounded leaves than ''E. prostrata'' with relatively larger and more conspicuous flowers. The flowers of ''E. prostrata'' do not typically show the white "petals" seen in ''E. serpens'' or ''E. maculata'' and thus flowers are hard to detect in the former species. Only ''E. maculata'' shows dark spots in the center of each leaf, but this is not always present in that species.
Medicinal use
''Euphorbia prostrata'' extract has been found effective for treatment of bleeding
hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''hemo ...
due to its contents of flavonoids, phenolics and phenolic acids.
''Euphorbia prostrata'' extract tablets have been marketed in India and the US by
Panacea Biotec Ltd.
Gallery
References
*Planta Medica 50:138, Research Paper:Authors MS Akhtar,QM Khan and T Kaliq: Effects of EUPHORBIA PROSTRATA along with FUMARIA PARVIFLORA in noemoglycaemic and alloxan treated hyper glycaemic rabbits as quoted in the book MAJOR HERBS OF AURVEDA: Edited by Elizabeth M Williamson and compiled by Dabur Research Foundation-Page 150-153.
External links
*
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1023705
prostrata
Flora of the Caribbean
Flora of northern South America
Flora without expected TNC conservation status