Euphorbia mauritanica
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Image 1
Habit
02 Apr 2015
Image 2
White milky sap
02 Apr 2015
Image 3
Fruit
02 Apr 2015
Image 4
Flowers
02 Apr 2015
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Full name: | Euphorbia mauritanica L. |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Geelmelkbos, Gifmelkbos, Melkbos |
| English common name(s): | Green milkbush, Golden spurge |
| Synonym(s): | - |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | A succulent, spineless shrub, 3–4 ft. high, branching throughout, leafy only on the young growths; branches alternate, erect, terete, smooth, marked or sometimes somewhat tubercled with alternate leaf-scars, the younger or flowering branches 0.125– 0.25 in. thick, becoming thicker with age, glabrous, green, not glaucous; leaves sessile, soon deciduous, 0.25–1 in. long, 1–3 lin. broad, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, acute, glabrous, green; umbels terminal, simple 3–5-rayed, when young with about 3 leaf-like very deciduous bracts at the base; rays or peduncles 2–6 lin. long, each bearing 1 involucre, and when immature a pair of very deciduous ovate acute deeply concave bracts 1.5–2 lin. long and 1.5 lin. broad, glabrous; involucre in dried specimens about 0.25 in. in diam. and 0.125 in. deep, cup-shaped, glabrous, with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate bifid or emarginate ciliate lobes; glands 1.25–1.333 lin. in diam., suborbicular, entire, 'yellowish-green' (Miller); ovary exserted on a curved pedicel 2–3 lin. long, glabrous; styles 0.666–1.5 lin. long, united at the basal third, bifid at the apex; capsule 2.75–3.5 lin. in diam., 3-lobed as seen from above, with subobtuse angles; seeds 1.5–1.75 lin. long, oblong, grey, speckled with black. (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora Capensis) Multisternmed, spineless, much-branched, succulent shrub, forming bright green to grey-green clumps, very variable in size, but usually between 0.4-1.2 m high. Flowering branches usually yellowish-green but may be grey-green, 5-8 mm in cross-section. Inflorescence a flat-topped terminal cluster. Glands bright, shiny yellow, margin entire. Flowering winter to early summer. Capsules yellow-green or flushed pink, on curved stalks, about 6 mm in cross-section, 3-angled, smooth, usually green until mature. This species is often common where it occurs, usually on gravelly-sandy slopes or plains, Large, robust individuals of this widespread species may be confused with E. dregeana. The differences are discussed under that species. Very big individuals resemble E. gumraifero, but only when sterile, as the inflorescences differ. A number of different varieties of E. rnauritanica occur from central to southern Namibia, and several of them also occur in South Africa. It may be seen on Namuskluft, on slopes of the Aurus basin, and on or near other koppies and mountains. (from Wildflowers of the southern Namib by Coleen Mannheimer) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
