Euphorbiaceae FAMILY

Euphorbia heterophylla

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The latex is used in the preparation of arrow poison and fish poison[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant may cause poisoning in livestock[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].

Botanical Description

Euphorbia heterophylla is a sparsely-branched, annual plant with copius latex. It can grow from 30 - 100cm tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. The leaves have been eaten in times of scarcity, but cannot be recommended, and the plant has at times been used for the production of rubber. It is occasionally grown as an ornamental[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeOriginally native to South and Central America, now widely naturalized throug much of the Tropics and Subtropics.

HabitatDisturbed localities, as a weed of cultivation and waste land, in gardens and along roadsides, at elevations from sea-level up to 3,000 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].