Biology:Euphorbia schlechtendalii

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Short description: Species of plant

Euphorbia schlechtendalii
Cyathia and leaf
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. schlechtendalii
Binomial name
Euphorbia schlechtendalii
Boiss.
Varieties

See text.

Synonyms

Of var. schlechtendalii:[1]

  • Aklema adinophylla (Donn.Sm.) Millsp.
  • (Boiss.) Millsp. (Millsp.) Millsp.
  • Boiss. Euphorbia mayana
  • Aklema ovata Millsp.
  • Aklema mayana (Schltdl.) Millsp.
  • Millsp. Alectoroctonum ovatum
  • Aklema friderichsthalii (Millsp.) Millsp.
  • Schltdl. Euphorbia adinophylla
  • Aklema nelsonii Donn.Sm.
  • Euphorbia nelsonii Euphorbia friderichsthalii

Euphorbia schlechtendalii, with no English name, is a species of subshrub, shrub or small tree occurring in Mexico and Central America. It belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae.[2]

Description

Euphorbia schlechtendalii is distinctive among the roughly 2,000 Euphorbia species, if only because often it grows into a small tree. In Mexico, where around 245 Euphorbia species are listed,[3] only ten Euphorbia species are considered trees – standing 5 m (16 ft) or higher; Euphorbia schlechtendalii sometimes reaches 10 m (33 ft) tall.[4] Other features of Euphorbia schlechtendalii are:[5]

  • The hairless plant's new twigs are reddish, though lichens of other colors may cover older parts; stem nodes where leaves arise tend to be swollen.
  • At stem nodes, usually more than two leaves arise on unusually slender petioles up to 3 cm long (~1⅕ inch). Blades up to 3 cm long and 2 cm wide (~1⅕ x ⅘ inches) are generally egg-shaped to nearly round, and have entire margins with no teeth, lobes or indentations.
  • Cyathia are held in compact clusters arising from stem nodes and tips. Each cyathium bears five flat, nearly round glands, and each gland bears an appendage forming a wide, white to greenish yellow, winglike border, the margin of which may be with or without indentations; the appendages give the impression of the cyathium bearing five broad, short petals.
  • Fruits are capsules up to 4 mm long (~⅛ inch) held well above the cyathia on sturdy pedicels.
  • Seeds are egg-shaped with surfaces bearing tiny, rounded projections and a fleshy growth near where the seed attaches to the capsule; it is "carunculated."

Taxonomy

The name Euphorbia schlechtendalii was published by Pierre Edmond Boissier in 1860.[6] Boissier referred to Alectoroctonum ovatum, published earlier by Diederich von Schlechtendal in 1846.[7] The name Euphorbia ovata was not available, having already been published by Ernst Meyer in 1843–1844.[8] As of March 2026, Plants of the World Online treated Alectoroctonum ovatum as a synonym of E. schlechtendalii var. schlechtendalii.[1] In in 1846 the type specimen was described by Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal as from "Actopan, Papantla", which are two localities in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The local name was given as matagallina, which in Spanish means "chicken killer".[9]

Varieties

As of March 2026, Plants of the World Online recognized the following varieties of Euphorbia schlechtendalii:[2]

  • Euphorbia schlechtendalii var. schlechtendalii
  • Euphorbia schlechtendalii var. pacifica McVaugh
  • Euphorbia schlechtendalii var. websteri McVaugh

Phylogeny

In 2012 a phylogenetic analysis found Euphorbia schlechtendalii to be sister to Euphorbia cotinifolia, in section Alectoroctonum of the subgenus Chamaesyce.[10]

A later molecular phylogenetic analysis of 28 plastomes from Euphorbiaceae confirmed that Euphorbia schlechtendalii falls into the subgenus Chamaesyce.[11]

Etymology

The genus name Euphorbia honors the first-century A.D. Greek physician Euphorbus.[12]

The species name schlechtendalii honors the German botanist Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal, who described the type specimen for Euphorbia schlechtendalii, giving it the name of name Alectoroctonum ovatum.[1]

Distribution

Euphorbia schlechtendalii occurs in states of central and southern Mexico on the Pacific and Gulf sides, and the Yucatan Peninsula; it is absent in the arid north and the Central Mexican matorral. It occurs in Central America as far south as Costa Rica [13]

Habitat

In Mexico's lowland Yucatan Peninsula, Euphorbia schlechtendalii inhabits tropical deciduous forests and coastal dune areas.[14] Images on this page show an individual on thin soil atop limestone in a savanna near the Yucatan Peninsula's northern Gulf coast.[15] In Nicaragua it occurs in open areas and dry forests up to 1,250 meters in elevation (4,100 feet).[5]

Ecology

In the Mexican state of Hidalgo, when male white-tailed deer choose their rutting areas, spots where Euphorbia schlechtendalii grow are among the least desired.[16]

Human uses

In traditional medicine

In Mexico's Oaxaca state, the white sap, or latex, that oozes from wounds of Euphorbia schlechtendalii is diluted in water and used for venereal diseases, and chest pains caused by foods. In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, mashed leaves are used against dandruff.[17] In the Mexican state of Puebla, the white sap of Euphorbia schlechtendalii is used to treat cold feet and hands.[18]

In bonsai

Among those who practice the "tray planting" Japanese art of bonsai trees, Euphorbia schlechtendalii is known as a tree with a slightly swollen, succulent trunk typical of arid, tropical environments. At maturity the thick trunk peels off parchment-like bark. It makes an attractive bonsai specimen if regular clipping is attended to. The goal is to produce a domed crown atop a thick, succulent trunk.[19]

In Mexico, Euphorbia schlechtendalii is sold as a perfect plant for bonsai.[20]

  • Cyathia
    Cyathia
  • 3-lobed capsular fruit atop pedicel
    3-lobed capsular fruit atop pedicel
  • Leaves with slender ptioles
    Leaves with slender ptioles
  • White, latex-like sap oozing from torn leaf
    White, latex-like sap oozing from torn leaf
  • Base of tree bearing many lichens
    Base of tree bearing many lichens
  • Tree in habitat
    Tree in habitat

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Euphorbia schlechtendalii var. schlechtendalii". United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77172764-1. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss.". United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:348187-1. 
  3. ↑ Steinmann, Victor W.Expression error: Unrecognized word "et". (2026). "Euphorbiaceae: a jewel of Mexican biodiversity". Botanical Sciences (Mexico City, México: Sociedad Botánica de México A.C.) 104 (1). doi:10.17129/botsci.3771. ISSN 2007-4476. https://www.botanicalsciences.com.mx/index.php/botanicalSciences/article/view/3771. Retrieved March 23, 2026. 
  4. ↑ Steinmann, Victor W.; Ricker, Martin (December 2020). "Tree and tree-like species of Mexico: Euphorbiaceae, Peraceae, Phyllanthaceae, Picrodendraceae, Putranjivaceae, and Urticaceae". Revista mexicana de biodiversidad (Mexico: SciELO) 91 (Epub). doi:10.22201/ib.20078706e.2020.91.3339. ISSN 1870-3453. https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1870-34532020000100620. Retrieved March 23, 2026. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss." (in Spanish [descriptions]). Published on the Internet. https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000964604. 
  6. ↑ "Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss..". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://www.ipni.org/n/348187-1. 
  7. ↑ Boissier, Edmond (1860), "E. schlechtendalii", Centuria Euphorbiarum, p. 18, https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/viewer/12908/?offset=#page=19&viewer=picture, retrieved March 27, 2026 
  8. ↑ "Euphorbia ovata E.Mey..". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://www.ipni.org/n/347612-1. 
  9. ↑ Schlechtendal, D. F. L. von (1846) (in German and Latin). Linnaea: Ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange. 19. F. Dümmler. pp. 252. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/63576932. 
  10. ↑ Yang, YaExpression error: Unrecognized word "et". (August 2012). "Molecular phylogenetics and classification of Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae)". Taxon (International Asociation for Plant Taxonomy) 61 (4): 764-789. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xavier-Aubriot/publication/234033421_Molecular_phylogenetics_and_classification_of_Euphorbia_subgenus_Chamaesyce_Euphorbiaceae/links/57e65feb08aed7fe466a08b8/Molecular-phylogenetics-and-classification-of-Euphorbia-subgenus-Chamaesyce-Euphorbiaceae.pdf. Retrieved March 24, 2026. 
  11. ↑ Wei, NengExpression error: Unrecognized word "et". (August 3, 2021). "Plastome Evolution in the Hyperdiverse Genus Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) Using Phylogenomic and Comparative Analyses: Large-Scale Expansion and Contraction of the Inverted Repeat Region". Plant Science (Frontiers Media SA.) 12. doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.712064. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.712064/full. Retrieved March 24, 2026. 
  12. ↑ Berry, Paul E.; Riina, Ricarda; Peirson, Jess A.. "Euphorbia Linnaeus. In Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA)". St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA, USA: New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press via eFloras.org. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=112355. 
  13. ↑ "Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss.". Catalogue of Life. February 13, 2026. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/3CQNV. 
  14. ↑ "Taxón: Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss. var. schlechtendalii" (in Spanish). Mérida, Yucatán, México: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C.. https://www.cicy.mx/sitios/flora%20digital/ficha_virtual.php?especie=1387. 
  15. ↑ "Euphorbia schlechtendalii Research Grade". iNaturalist. November 30, 2014. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226933926. 
  16. ↑ Buenrostro-Silva, Alejandra; Gallina, Sonia; Sánchez-Rojas, Gerardo (2008). "Los talladeros de machos de venado cola blanca Odocoileus virginianus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) y su ubicación para definir los sitios reproducivo" (in Spanish with English abstract). Hidalgo, México: Universidad Autónoma del estado de Hidalgo. https://www.uaeh.edu.mx/investigacion/icbi/LI_EcoConserBiolo/gerardo_sanchez/2008CapituloAVMAM.pdf. 
  17. ↑ "Medicina de las gallinas" (in Spanish). México: D.R. Biblioteca Digital de la Medicina Tradicional Mexicana. http://www.medicinatradicionalmexicana.unam.mx/apmtm/termino.php?l=3&t=euphorbia-schlechtendalii. 
  18. ↑ Martínez-Moreno, David; Reyes-Matamoros, Jenaro; Andrés-Hernández, Agustina Rosa; Pérez-Espinosa, Liliana (August 2016). "Flora útil de la comunidad "Rancho El Salado" en Jolalpan, México" (in Spanish with English abstract). Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencias (Zapopan, Jalisco, México: Red de Investigadores Latinoamericanos (Redilat) y la Editorial Ibero Ciencias) 3 (4). ISSN 2334-2501. https://www.reibci.org/publicados/2016/ago/1600107.pdf. Retrieved March 24, 2026. 
  19. ↑ "ISI 2023-19. Euphorbia schlechtendalii Boiss.". The Huntington. https://media.huntington.org/ISI/ISI2023/2023-19.html. 
  20. ↑ "Euphorbia schlechtendalii" (in Spanish). Dzityá, Yucatán, México. https://suculentasdzitya.com/productos/euphorbia-schlechtendalii/. 

Wikidata ☰ Q15389685 entry



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