''Euphorbia terracina'', commonly known as the Geraldton carnation weed and False caper, is a species of perennial herb 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 has a self-supporting growth form and simple, broad leaves. Flowers are visited by '' Lipotriches brachysoma'', '' Lipotriches natalensis'', '' Lipotriches crassula'', and '' Nomia bouyssoui''. It produces small, three lobed fruits, with each lobe containing one seed.

Distribution

''Euphorbia terracina'' is natively distributed in Mediterranean climate regions of Northern Africa, temperate Asia, and some areas of Europe. It is an invasive weed in other similar climate regions mainly in Australia and the U.S. state of California. It allelopathically inhibitit growth of surrounding plants.

Toxicity

''Euphorbia terracina'' is toxic to both humans and livestock. As with many other Euphorbia species, exposure to its milky sap may cause irritation to skin, eyes, and digestive tracts.

Uses

In some regions of Algeria, the sap of ''Euphorbia terracina'' is used to treat warts. The sap has been found to demonstrate

antioxidative Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to indust ...

properties

Sources

References

terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...

Flora of Malta Invasive species in the United States {{Euphorbia-stub