Trees or shrubs, producing abundant milky latex when injured, 2-6 m tall, dioecious, eventually forming a trunk 10-25 cm DBH with rugose, gray or light bark. Stems green, succulent, finely, longitudinally striate. Leaves alternate, present only on new growth;stipules very small, caducous;petiole ± absent;leaf blade oblong-linear, 7-15 × 0.7-1.5 mm, base attenuate, margin entire, apex obtuse. Cyathia clustered at apex of branches, pedunculate, unisexual;involucral leaves minute, membranous, caducous;involucre turbinate, approximately 2 × 1.5 mm, shortly pubescent inside;glands 5, peltate-ovate or subrounded. Male flowers many, exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary glabrous, exserted from involucre;styles connate below middle;stigma 2-lobed. Capsule 3-lobed, 8 × 8 mm, smooth, sparsely pilose or glabrous. Seeds ovoid-globose, 4 × 4 mm, smooth;caruncle small (Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2016).
Related invasive species
- Euphorbia tirucalli
Related Farm Practice
- Light
- Flora
E. tirucalli is a many-branched succulent plant widely commercialized as an ornamental, hedge plant, potted plant and for soil conservation (Orwa et al., 2009;USDA-ARS, 2016). It has escaped from cultivation and once naturalized, it often grows forming thickets mostly in disturbed sites, abandoned gardens, deciduous forests, semiarid sites, and along roadsides (Little et al., 1974;PIER, 2016). This species grows very fast, and produces a lot of biomass even under very marginal soil and extreme climatic conditions (Mwine and Damme, 2011). In invaded areas, it is propagating vegetatively by cuttings and stem fragments (Little et al., 1974;PIER, 2016). Currently, this species is listed as invasive in Hawaii and Cuba (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012;PIER, 2016), but is listed as potentially invasive on many islands in the Pacific and in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia (Nguyen and Sosef, 1999;Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2016;PIER, 2016).