''Euphorbia royleana'' is a species 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, e ...
.
[ It is also known as Sullu spurge, and Royle's spurge. It is a ]succulent
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
and almost cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
like in appearance although unrelated. It grows right across the Himalaya mountains
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
from Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal to western China, It prefers dry and rocky slopes between 1000 and 1500 meters, but has been found up to 2000 meters. Flowering and fruiting is in spring to early summer (March–July) and seeding is in June–October. It is used as a hedging plant in northern India and has medicinal uses.
Description
''Euphorbia royleana'' is a deciduous, cactus-like, shrub or small upright trees up to 2-5(-7) m high, which is armed with short prickles along its stems. It has a stout trunk and is glabrous
Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...
except for the flowers (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 ...
). The cyathia are small greenish-yellow, 3-4 appear in almost stalkless clusters in leaf axils .[LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms "Euphorbia royleana" Text available under a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons Attribution License. ''www.llifle.com'' 14 Nov. 2005. 28 Oct 2016.
http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SUCCULENTS/Family/Euphorbiaceae/32938/Euphorbia_royleana
]
It has succulent segmented branches in whorls, which are green, 4-7(-8) cm thick, with branching from the upper parts. The stems have ribs 5(-7), angles more or less undulately winged with rounded teeth/tubercles. It has stout tap roots.oblanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, spathulate
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
, or spoon-shaped 5-15 long, 1–4 cm wide and slightly succulent. The base is attenuate, the margin entire, and the apex obtuse or subtruncate. Veins are inconspicuous. The petiole is absent.glabrous
Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...
. The seeds themselves are 3-3.5 × 2.5–3 mm, brown, adaxially striate; caruncle absent.
Medicinal use
It is a medicinal shrub used in Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
locally known as ''siyuri'' or ''siudi''. Its latex has purported molluscicidal properties.
Several researchers have noted that ''Euphorbia royleana'' has been observed growing near rock face collection sites of the Ayurvedic
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
resin shilajit
Shilajit ( sa, शिलाजीत in Urdu "Conqueror of mountains, Conqueror of the Rocks, Destroyer of Weakness") or Mumijo is a blackish-brown powder or an exudate from high mountain rocks, often found in the Himalayas, Karakoram, Gilgit ...
in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. The plant is the likely origin of shilajit as its gum has a similar composition to the resin.
Gallery
Euphorbia royleana NP.jpg, Euphorbia royleana in leaf.
Gardenology.org-IMG 2778 hunt0903.jpg, Huntington Gardens (Los Angeles).
Euphorbia royleana.jpg, Botanical Garden, Wrocław, Poland.
Euphorbia royleana ies.jpg, Close up of flowering tip.
Euphorbia royleana2 ies.jpg, Close up of cyathia (false flowers).
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5410558
Flora of Nepal
royleana
Taxa named by Pierre Edmond Boissier
Flora of India
Flora of China
Flora of Myanmar
Flora of Pakistan
Flora of Taiwan