Biology:Euphorbia peplus

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Short description: Species of plant

Euphorbia peplus
E peplus.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. peplus
Binomial name
Euphorbia peplus

Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge,[1][2] radium weed,[2] cancer weed,[2] or milkweed),[2] is a species of Euphorbia, native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens and other disturbed land.[1][3][4]

Outside of its native range it is very widely naturalised and often invasive, including in Australia , New Zealand, North America and other countries in temperate and sub-tropical regions.[1]

Description

It is an annual plant growing to 5–30 cm (2–12 in) tall (most plants growing as weeds of cultivation tend towards the smaller end), with smooth hairless stems. The leaves are stalked, oval-acute, 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) long, with untoothed margin. It has green flowers in three-rayed umbels. The glands typically of Euphorbia are kidney-shaped, and have long thin horns.[4]

var. minima has stems low, ascending, branchy, leaves roundish, seeds smaller 1-1.4 mm (vs. 1.3-1.6 mm of var. peplus),[5] predominantly countries on the north edge of the Mediterranean (PoWo Map)

Euphorbia peplus cyathium

Medicinal uses

The plant's sap is toxic to rapidly replicating human tissue, and has long been used as a traditional remedy for common skin lesions.[6] The active ingredient in the sap is a diterpene ester called ingenol mebutate.

A pharmaceutical-grade ingenol mebutate gel has approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of actinic keratosis.[6][7][8]

In Germany, recent studies have linked Euphorbia peplus with the virtual elimination of squamous cell skin cancer.[9]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Euphorbia peplus | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 2 January 2018 }}
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Hazel Dempster; Bronwen Keighery. "Euphorbia terracina Workshop Proceedings 2000". http://www.environmentalweedsactionnetwork.org.au/images/pdf/EterracinaWorkshopText.pdf. 
  3. Flora Europaea: Euphorbia peplus
  4. 4.0 4.1 Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN:0-340-40170-2
  5. Davis. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, vol. 7. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "PEP005 (ingenol mebutate) gel, a novel agent for the treatment of actinic keratosis: results of a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, multicentre, phase IIa study". Australasian Journal of Dermatology 50 (1): 16–22. 2009. doi:10.1111/j.1440-0960.2008.00497.x. PMID 19178487. 
  7. Lebwohl, M, et al. "Ingenol Mebutate Gel for Actinic Keratosis." N Engl J Med 366;11, March 15, 2012.
  8. "FDA Approves Picato® (ingenol mebutate) Gel, the First and Only Topical Actinic Keratosis (AK) Therapy With 2 or 3 Consecutive Days of Once-Daily Dosing". eMedicine. Yahoo! Finance. January 25, 2012. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fda-approves-picato-ingenol-mebutate-130200825.html. 
  9. Braun, S.A.; Homey, B.; Gerber, P.A. (October 2014). "Erfolgreiche Behandlung eines Morbus Bowen mit Ingenolmebutat" (in de). Der Hautarzt 65 (10): 848–850. doi:10.1007/s00105-014-3509-5. ISSN 0017-8470. PMID 25217087. 

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q148924 entry