''Euphorbia nivulia'' is a subtropical
succulent species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...
. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and is commonly known as the leafy milk hedge, holy milk hedge or dog's tongue.
Description
''Euphorbia nivulia'' forms a small tree up to high and in girth. The bark is rough and thick. The branches are succulent, and grow out from the trunk at an obtuse angle. Spirally arranged tubercles on the branches bear clusters of sharp spines. The leaves are simple and arranged alternately, and have a very short or no stalk. The leaf blade is obovate and spoon-shaped to inverted-lance-shaped, up to long and wide. They are thick and fleshy, the tip is rounded, the base is tapered, and the margin is entire. The midrib is prominent on the underside of the leaf. The reddish
cyathia
A cyathium (plural: cyathia) is one of the specialised pseudanthia ("false flowers") forming the inflorescence of plants in the genus ''Euphorbia'' (Euphorbiaceae). A cyathium consists of:
* Five (rarely four) bracteoles. These are small, uni ...
(false flowers found in the genus ''
Euphorbia
''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 ...
'') develop in groups of three in the axils of the leaves towards the ends of the branches. The fruits are divided into three parts, the lobes being compressed laterally. The seeds are four-angled and ovoid, smooth and about long.
[ This plant is similar to '' Euphorbia caducifolia'', leafless milk hedge, but it retains its leaves for longer than does ''E. caducifolia'', and does not form bushy thickets.
]
Distribution and habitat
''Euphorbia nivulia'' is native to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It grows in both wet and dry deciduous forests on rocky hillsides,
Uses
Juice squeezed from the leaves, bark from the root, the stems and the latex have been used in traditional medicine. Research has shown that the plant possesses antimicrobial, wound healing, haemostatic and cytotoxic activity. Additionally, it possesses larvicidal, insecticidal and nematicidal activities, and may prove useful in controlling the mosquitoes, ''Aedes aegypti
''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its le ...
'' and ''Culex quinquefasciatus
''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...
'', and suppressing the root-knot nematode
Root-knot nematodes are plant-parasitic nematodes from the genus ''Meloidogyne''. They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters. About 2000 plants worldwide are susceptible to infection by root-knot nematodes and they cause appr ...
, (''Meloidogyne incognita'').[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q8846375
nivulia
Flora of the Indian subcontinent
Flora of Indo-China
Plants described in 1824