EUPHORBIACEAE
NB this is a description for Euphorbiaceae s.l. Separate families that formerly were treated in Euphorbiacea are Phyllanthacea, Picrodendraceae, Pandaceae and Putranjivaceae.
Morphological description
Plant usually woody; laticiferous.
Leaves
Leaves stipulate; usually spiral, simple, dentate; glands on petiole / leaf blade; petiole bipulvinate. Leaves in whorls of 3 (Borneodendron), numerous small glands on surface of leaf (most Macaranga, Mallotus and Octospermum); leaves digitately compound (Bischofia, Hevea*, Annesijoa); twigs mimicking pinnate leaves (Breynia, Flueggea, Glochidion, Phyllanthus, Sauropus);
Inflorescence
Inflorescence a cyathium (Euphorbia); inflorescence leaf-opposed (Suregada).
Flowers
Flower unisexual, plants monoecious or dioecious (some Aporosa spp. have bisexual flowers); ovary superior; ovules 1 or 2 per cell, pendulous; ovule with ventral raphe. Usually ovary 3-locular; fruit a capsule, central columella persisting after the valves have fallen; micropyle covered by a caruncle
Fruit
Fruit winged (Hymenocardia); fruit a drupe (Antidesma, stone flattened, sculpted, and Drypetes).
Different from: Buxaceae: ovule with dorsal raphe. — Daphniphyllaceae: exstipulate, ovary imperfectly septate. — Flacourtiaceae: stipules often minute or wanting, flowers sometimes hermaphroditic, placentation parietal.
Distribution: The family world-wide; as to number of woody species probably the family best represented in Malesian rain forest. In Malesia 93 genera incl.: - Antidesma (paleotropics), shrubs or trees, lowland and montane rain forest; - Aporosa (Indo-Malesia), shrubs or trees, lowland rain forest; - Baccaurea (Indo-Malesia), shrubs or trees, lowland rain forest; - Drypetes (pantropical), trees; mostly lowland rain forest; - Glochidion (pantropical), shrubs or trees, mostly secondary forest; - Macaranga (paleotropics), trees; several myrmecophilous, mostly secondary forest; - Mallotus (paleotropics), trees; mostly primary forest; - Phyllanthus (pantropical), herbs, shrubs or trees, many weeds, some in rain forest.
Notes: Several genera have been placed in separate families: Stylaginaceae (Antidesma), Bischofiaceae (Bischofia), Pandaceae (Galearia, Microdesmis). — Several species useful to man: rubber: Hevea*; edible roots and leaves: Manihot*; edible fruits: Aleurites, Antidesma, Baccaurea, Phyllanthus; castor oil: Ricinus*; medicinal plants: Euphorbia, Phyllanthus; ornamentals: Acalypha, Codiaeum, Euphorbia, Excoecaria, Jatropha.
Literature: H.K. Airy Shaw, The Euphorbiaceae of Borneo. Kew Bull. Add. Ser. IV (1975); The Euphorbiaceae of New Guinea, Kew Bull. Add. Ser. VIII (1980); The Euphorbiaceae of Sumatra, Kew Bull.36 (1981) 239-374. — Dr. P.C. van Welzen (L) is coordinating the revision of the family for Flora Malesiana. 113.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Euphorbiaceae 27, 30, 56, 58, 61, 77, 79, 83, 85, 89, 99, 104 - Acalypha 101; A. brachystachya 16; A. lanceolata 16 - Actephila 55, 71, 80, 101 - Agrostistachys 10, 22, 36, 53, 101; A. indica 18, 33; A. longifolia 33 - Alchornea 31, 38, 46, 101; A. borneensis 70 - Aleurites 25, 26, 38, 57 - Alphandia 25 - Andrachne 35 - Annesijoa 48 - Antidesma 37, 38, 53, 68, 70, 78, 91 - Aporosa 31, 35, 37, 38, 52, 60, 68, 71, 72, 88, 90, 101; A. frutescens 55 - Ashtonia 31, 38, 55, 101 - Austrobuxus 45, 101 - Baccaurea 14, 25, 38, 55, 68, 70, 78, 101; B. angulata 98; B. bracteata 31; B. macrophylla 37; B. trigonocarpa 99 - Baliospermum 63 - Bischofia 21, 48 - Blachia 80, 101 - Blumeodendron 31, 38, 46, 64, 101; B. kurzii 22 - Borneodendron 21, 25, 26, 46 - Botryophora 31, 38, 46, 52, 101 - Breynia 54, 71, 80, 101 - Bridelia 5, 12, 65, 68, 71 - Cephalomappa 25, 26, 38, 76, 95, 99 - Chaetocarpus 71, 95, 101 - Cheilosa 101 - Chondrostylis 31, 101 - Choriceras 45 - Chrozophora 25, 26 - Cladogynos 71, 76, 101 - Claoxylon 21, 31, 38, 101 - Cleidion 38, 90, 101 - Cleistanthus 26, 36, 39, 71, 90, 101 - Cnesmone 5, 29, 101 - Codiaeum 19, 38, 46 - Croton 23, 25, 26, 31, 38, 46, 57, 59, 90, 101 - Dalechampia 5 - Dicoelia 25, 101 - Dimorphocalyx 38, 80, 101; D. muricatus 95 - Doryxylon 25 - Drypetes 39, 53, 70, 71, 80; D. eriocarpa 34; D. longifolia 9; D. pendula 9 - Elateriospermum 19, 31, 38, 101 - Endospermum 9, 14, 21, 25, 31, 38, 51 - Epiprinus 31, 46, 76, 80 - Erismanthus 32, 45, 80, 98, 101 - Euphorbia 12, 19, 101; E. cotinifolia 46 - Excoecaria 19, 45, 57, 101; E. indica 12 - Fahrenheitia 21, 25, 31, 38, 57, 78, 101 - Flueggea 71, 101 - Fontainea 38, 59 - Galearia 78; G. celebica 70 - Glochidion 15, 59, 70, 71, 98, 101 - Hevea 19, 48, 57, 101 - Homalanthus 19, 31, 38, 51, 69; H. fastuosus 9 - Homonoia 25, 26, 101 - Hura 12, 19 - Hymenocardia 12, 26, 31, 38, 98 - Jatropha 2, 19 - Kairothamnus 71 - Koilodepas 25, 31, 52, 76, 101; K. longifolia 34; K. pectinata 34, 80 - Lasiococca 46, 80, 95 - Leptopus 71, 101 - Loerzingia 38 - Macaranga 9, 21, 25, 26, 29, 31, 33, 37, 38, 46, 51, 52, 53, 57, 60, 64, 68, 72, 95, 98, 101; M. trachyphylla 62 - Mallotus 16, 25, 26, 31, 36, 38, 45, 51, 53, 63, 64, 68, 72, 95, 99, 101; M. sect. Hancea 47; M. sect. Stylosanthes 23; M. sumatranus 98 - Manihot 19, 51; M. esculenta 99 - Margaritaria 71, 101 - Megistostigma 5, 29; M. burmannicum 98; M. peltatum 51 - Melanolepis 25, 31, 38, 101 - Microdesmis 71, 95 - Moultonianthus 32, 37, 45 - Neoscortechinia 31, 38 - Neotrewia 25, 26, 47 - Octospermum 31, 88 - Omphalea 4, 5, 19, 38 - Ostodes 21 - Pachystylidium 5, 25, 29 - Phyllanthus 15, 35, 71, 101; P. acidus 70; P. reticulatus 5 - Pimelodendron 31, 38, 46; P. macrocarpum 70, 94, 95 - Plukenetia 72 - Pterococcus 5, 98 - Ptychopyxis 38, 101; P. caput-medusae 95; P. costata 99; P. grandiflorus 70 - Reutealis 21, 25 - Richeriella 101 - Ricinus 95 - Sapium 14, 19, 31, 69, 101 - Sauropus 23, 70, 71, 101; S. androgynus 12 - Sebastiania 71, 95, 101 - Spathiostemon 38, 78, 95, 101 - Stillingia 19, 67 - Sumbaviopsis 25, 26, 101 - Suregada 59, 71, 72, 101 - Syndiophyllum 32, 45, 59 - Synostemon 101 - Trewia 25, 31, 45, 47, 64 - Trigonopleura 71, 101 - Trigonostemon 21, 31, 46, 47, 64, 71, 80, 101; T. capillipes 70; T. diplopetalus 81; T. sandakanensis 53 - Wetria 21, 31, 46, 67, 90, 101; W. macrophylla 53.
Illustrations: Fig. 62. Antidesma venenosum J.J. Sm.: a. habit; b. inflorescence; c. flower; d. stamen; e. ovary; d. fruit. Fig. 63. Glochidion insigne J.J. Sm. Fig. 64. Baccaurea stipulata J.J. Sm. Fig. 65. Mallotus paniculatus (Lam.) Mull. Arg. (Courtesy Dr. P. J.A. Kessler).
Image in PhytoImages for Euphorbiaceae