Euphorbia helioscopia L.
1972 (9). Е. helioscopia L., Sp. Pl. ed. I (1753) 459; Boiss. in DC., Prodr XV, 2 (1862) 136; Fl. Or. IV (1879) 1107; Hayek, Prodr. Fl. Penins. Balc. I (1924) 126; Rössler, Beich. Bot. Centr. LXII (1943) 148; Прох., Фл. GCCP XIV (1949) 383; Smith et Tuiinf Fl. Eur. II (1962) 221; Exs.: Pl. Bulg. Exsicc. No 470; F. C. F. No 147 — Слънцегледа млечка
Fam: Euphorbiaceae Juss.
Genus: Euphorbia L.
Species: Euphorbia helioscopia L.
English Name: Sun spurgeDescription:
An annual plant. Stem single or with numerous (up to 20) not fruitful and fruiting branches, 10 - 50 cm high, ascending at the base, green, yellow-green or most often red-violet, scattered fibrous, rarely almost naked, sparsely leafy, at fruit ripening almost leafless, with traces of fallen leaves. Stem leaves on petioles up to 3 mm long, narrowly wedge-shaped at the base, broadly spatulate, rounded at the apex, coarsely serrated or serrated, 4 - 35 mm long and 3 - 16 mm wide; those of the infertile branches oblong-ovate to elliptical-lance, rounded at the apex, shortly pointed, 4 - 15 mm long and 3 - 8 mm wide; all green, yellow-green to yellowish, often with a narrow purple edge, diffusely fibrous or glabrous. Top flowering branches (4-) 5, 0.5 - 4.0 - 10.0 cm long, scattered fibrous, at the top (2) 3 (4) -parts, each branch 2 - 4 times in two parts, in nodes of dichases with 1 infertile cyatium. Inflorescence leaves 4 - 5, in the form of stem leaves, broadly toothed, scattered fibrous or glabrous, yellow-green to yellowish, 15 - 35 mm long and 12 - 25 mm wide. Bracts lower at the bottom, oval-bladed, cut off at the top, oval-triangular, slightly incised, 2 - 12 mm long and 2 - 10 mm wide; up 2, oval or elliptical, smaller. Perianth bell-shaped, sessile, glabrous, 1.5 - 2.5 mm long and wide; glands 4, transversely elliptical, green, 0.6 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, entire. The box is cylindrical, on a petiole 1 - 2 mm long, three-part, 1.2 - 3.5 mm long and 2.8 - 3.5 mm wide; the lobes of the back broadly rounded; smooth or grainy rough, glabrous, the styles 0.8 mm long, fused at the base, globularly thickened at the apex. Seeds spherical, at the base to the top drained, 2.0 - 2.1 mm long, 1.6 - 1.7 mm wide and 1.5 - 1.6 mm thick, flat keel-shaped; chalazity, lateral and posterior margin unexpressed; the hilus zone transversely elliptical, flat, almost vertical; the seam is convex, keel-shaped; the surface is deeply uneven, covered with narrow anastomotic growths, closing irregular polygons (resembling a honeycomb); dark brown, the appendage in the form of a transverse elliptical transparent plate, tightly adhering to the hilus zone.
Volability
1 Lateral flowering branches 8 - 20; stem leaves obtuse or slightly incised, lanceolate, broadly ovate or obovate; apical flowering twigs usually 8 - 17 ................................................................................................................................................. subsp. esula. It is not found in our country.
1* Lateral flowering twigs usually 2 - 12; stem leaves pointed, linear to lance; apical flowering twigs usually 5 - 9 ................................................ .................................................................... subsp. tommasiniana (Bertol.) Nyman, Consp. (1881) 652; E. tommasiniana Bertol, Fl. Ital. (1842) 78; Euphorbia virgata Waldst. et Kit., Pl. Rar. Hung. II (1803-4) 176, p. 162; Boiss. in DC., Prodr. XV, 2 (1862) 159; Fl. Or. IV (1879) 1126; Vel., Fl. Bulg. (1891) 507; Suppl. I (1898) 251; Stoyan. Steph., Fl. Bulgarian ed. 1, II (1925) 726; Nauek, Prodr. Fl. Penins. Balc. I (1924) 181; Rössler, Beich. Bot. Center. LXII (1943) 726; Proh., Fl. USSR XIV (1949) 443; Kuzm., Izv. Bot. inst. BAN XII (1963) 159, non Desf. Distributed within the species ……………...............................................................................................................................................………….... 2
2 Stem simple, without lateral, infertile branches, rarely in its upper part with short, infertile twigs; stem leaves most often towards the top narrowing, pointed ……………...........…………… var. tommasiniana; E. virgata var. typica Nyarady, Kv. Fl. (194b44) 352; Prod., Fl. R. P. R. II (1953) 337; E. esula var. salicettorum auct. bulg., non Jord. Distributed within the species ....................................................................................... 3
2* Stem more powerful and taller, with numerous infertile branches, often reaching the upper inflorescence or exceeding it; stem leaves linear to oblong, often rounded at the apex, obtuse ……………………………………… var. orientalis (Boiss). Kuzm., Comb. n .; E. virgata var. orientalis Boiss. in DC., op. c. 160; Fl. Or. IV (1879) 1062; Hayek, op. c. 131; E. virgata subsp. orientalis (Boiss.) Vel., op. c. (1891) 507. Black Sea coast, Northeastern Bulgaria, Danube plain, Fore-Balkan, Stara Planina, Znepol region, Sofia region, Struma valley, Thracian lowland, Tundzha hilly plain.
3 Stem leaves widest at base or towards center ……………………………………………… f. tommasiniana. Distributed within the species.
3* Stem leaves at the base narrowed, drained, widest towards the middle or above it ……...…. f. esulifolia (Thell.) Kuzm., comb, n .; E. vigata f. esutifolira Thell., in Hegi, 111. Fl. Mitt. Eur. V, 1 (1924) 175. Black Sea coast, Danube plain, Stara Planina, Vitosha region, Western Rhodopes, Thracian lowland.From: „Флора на Н. Р. България”, том VII, Издателство на БАН, София, (1979)
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Euphorbia helioscopia, the sun spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is a herbaceous annual plant, native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and eastward through most of Asia.[1][2][3]
Folk names include wart spurge, umbrella milkweed and madwoman's milk.[4]Description
It is an annual plant growing in arable land and disturbed ground. It grows to 10–50 cm tall, with a single, erect, hairless stem, branching toward the top. The leaves are oval, broadest near the tip, 1.5–3 cm long, with a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, yellow-green, with two to five basal bracts similar to the leaves but yellower; flowering lasts from mid-spring to late summer.[3][4]
Uses
It is highly poisonous. Active ingredients are extracted from it for use in pharmaceutical industry. It is also a plant used in Chinese traditional medicine.[5] Its extract has been found to inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo in mice[6] and in vitro in human cells.[citation needed]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Flowering Time: Blooms: (II) III - XI (XII), fruiting: IV - XII (often the seeds germinate and the plants bear fruit a second time in a year).
Distribution in Bulgaria: Growing along the roads and uncultivated places, in the pastures, like weeds in the fields in the plains and mountains. Widespread, from 150 to about 150 m altitude. (Conspectus of the Bulgarian Vascular Flora) = conspectus&gs_l= Zlc.Distribution: Europe (north to 70 ° north latitude) Asia (east to Japan, south to India), North Africa.
Conservation status and threats:
not protected species in Bulgaria by the Biodiversity Law. - Biological Diversity Act - http://eea.government.bg/bg/legislation/biodiversity/zbran_22.08.15.pdf
Fam. Euphorbiaceae Juss. is protected in Bulgaria by the Biodiversity Law. - Biological Diversity Act - http://eea.government.bg/bg/legislation/biodiversity/zbran_22.08.15.pdfMedical plant: it is not - Medicinal Plants Act - http://eea.government.bg/bg/legislation/biodiversity/ZLR_en.pdf
References: „Флора на Н. Р. България”, том VII, Издателство на БАН, София, (1979), Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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