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Smoke tree spurge (Euphorbia cotinifolia)

Dlium Smoke tree spurge (Euphorbia cotinifolia)

Smoke tree spurge (Euphorbia cotinifolia) is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae, a shrub or small tree with erect stems and woody, red leaves and is often used as an ornamental plant.

E. cotinifolia has a height of up to 9 meters, cylindrical, sturdy, bark brown or purplish, many branches and twigs, if broken will release sap that irritates the skin.



The leaves grow along the branches with long stalks and are red. The leaf blade is ovate, the tips are rounded, the margins are flat, the upper side is red, the underside is purplish, a main vein in the middle with many lateral veins.

Small white flowers with cream-colored bracts, blooming at the ends of branches in summer. The sap is toxic and causes irritation to human skin or eyes. The plant is commonly used as an ornamental in gardens and in pots with well-draining soil and full sun.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Euphorbieae
Subtribe: Euphorbiinae
Genus: Euphorbia L. in Sp. Pl.: 450 (1753)
Subgenus: Chamaesyce
Section: Alectoroctonum
Species: Euphorbia cotinifolia L. in Sp. Pl.: 453 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Aklema cotinifolia (L.) Millsp. in Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 2: 416 (1916)
Alectoroctonum cotinifolium (L.) Schltdl. in Linnaea 19: 252 (1846)
Tithymalus cotinifolius (L.) Haw. in Syn. Pl. Succ.: 141 (1812)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.

Berendsohn, W.G., Gruber, A.K. & Monterrosa Salomón, J. (2009). Nova silva cusatlantica. Árboles nativos e introduciados de El Salvador. Parte 1: Angiospermae - Familias A a L. Englera 29-1: 1-438.

Binojkumar, M.S. & Balakrishnan, N.P. (2010). The genus Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae) in India. A taxonomic revision: 1-430. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.

Florence, J. (1997). Flore de la Polynésie Française 1: 1-393. ORSTOM éditions, Paris.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Gonzalez, F., Nelson Diaz, J. & Lowry, P. (1995). Flora Illustrada de San Andrés y Providencia: 1-281. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Colombia.

Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Linares, J.L. (2003 publ. 2005). Lista comentado de los árboles nativos y cultivados en la República de El Salvador. Ceiba; a Scientific and Technical Journal Published by Zamorano 44: 105-268.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D.Y. (eds.) (2008). Flora of China 11: 1-622. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Yang, Y., Riina, R., Morawetz, J.J., Haevermans, T., Aubriot, X. & Berry, P.E. (2012). Molecular phylogenetics and classification of Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae). Taxon 61: 764-789.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (Simplified): 紫锦木
Chinese (Traditional): 紫錦木 - 非洲紅 - 紫錦木
Czech: Pryšec rujolistý
English: Smoke tree spurge, Smoketree spurge, Mexican shrubby spurge, Tropical smoke bush, tropical smoke bush
Estonian: Punalehine piimalill
Finnish: Punatyräkki
Hebrew: גרגירי עשן
Hong Kong: 非洲紅 - 紫錦木
Indonesian: Asap merah
Japanese: ケツヨウボク
Java: Godong getih
Portuguese: Leiteiro-vermelho
Russian: Молочай скумпиелистный
Spanish: Barrabás, Lechero colorado, Nacedero rojo, Piñón rojo, Lechero liberal, Lechero rojo, Trompillo sudamericano
Thai: โพแดงใหญ่

Aryo Bandoro
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