''Euphorbia cotinifolia'' is a broadleaf red shrub native to Mexico and South America. Treated as a shrub, it reaches but can be grown as a tree reaching . Small white flowers with creamy bracts bloom at the ends of the branches in summer. The purplish stems, when broken, exude a sap that is a skin irritant.
The scientific name of the plant comes from the words ''cotinus'' meaning "smoketree" and ''folia'' meaning "leaf". Common names for the species include smoketree spurge, tropical smoke bush, Caribbean copper plant, and Mexican shrubby spurge.
Toxicity
The species is well known in Central America, where its poisonous sap has been used both as a medicine and a poison. As a medicine, it has been used in
folk remedies
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
as both an
emetic
Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose.
Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteri ...
and
cathartic
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a catha ...
substance. Fishermen have been known to add the sap to water in fishing grounds to stun fish and force them to float to the top. It was also historically used as a poison for arrowheads by the natives of
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
.
The sap can cause irritation if it comes into contact with human skin or eyes. If ingested, the sap can cause severe damage to
internal organs
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
.
Gardening
''Euphorbia cotinifolia'' is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and in pots, due to its colourful and distinctive foliage. It prefers a site with well-drained soil and full sun. While relatively hardy, it does not react well to wind, salt, or frost.
References
External links
Fine Gardening
{{Taxonbar, from=Q310289
Flora of Mexico
Flora of South America
cotinifolia
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus