Jump to content

Euphorbia grandicornis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Euphorbia grandialata)

Euphorbia grandicornis
Euphorbia grandicornis in the Jardín de Cactus in Guatiza on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. grandicornis
Binomial name
Euphorbia grandicornis
Blanc (1888)
Subspecies[2]
  • Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. grandicornis
  • Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. sejuncta L.C.Leach
Synonyms[3]

synonyms of E. grandicornis subsp. grandicornis:

  • Euphorbia grandialata R.A.Dyer (1937)
  • Euphorbia grandidens K.I.Goebel (1889), sphalm.

Euphorbia grandicornis, the cow's horn plant, is a succulent plant of the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family. It is native to the KwaZulu-Natal province and the Northern Provinces of South Africa and to Mozambique and Eswatini.[2][4]

The specific epithet "grandicornis" means "with large horns," and refers to the pairs of spines, which look like the horns of a bull.[5]

Description

[edit]

Euphorbia grandicornis is a shrub with succulent, spiny stems that reaches a size of 0.5–2 m in height. Small leaves are formed between the spines but later drop off; the stems do the bulk of the photosynthesis. It is much branched from the base, with thorns, the branches 3-angled, erect or ascending, very deeply constricted in segments, subsagittate-ovate or reniform-sagittate, 5–13 cm long and 5 – 15 cm in diameter.[5][6][7]

The fruit is showy and pops open when ripe.[6]

It is found in dense dry mixed forest, on granite slopes, and on rocks, at elevations of 40 to 700 meters.[8]

Subspecies

[edit]

Two subspecies are accepted:[2]

  • Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. grandicornis – Mozambique, Eswatini, Northern Provinces, and KwaZulu-Natal
  • Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. sejuncta L.C.Leach – north-central Mozambique

Uses

[edit]

It is grown as a houseplant in temperate regions.[9]

Chemical constituents of E. grandicornis have been studied for their use in cancer treatment.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Osborne, J. (2019). "Euphorbia grandicornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019. IUCN: e.T120955787A120980233. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T120955787A120980233.en.
  2. ^ a b c Euphorbia grandicornis Blanc. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  3. ^ Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. grandicornis. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  4. ^ Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A.; Didžiulis V., eds. (2019). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist". Catalogue of Life. TaxonID: 43043980. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  5. ^ a b "NParks | Euphorbia grandicornis". www.nparks.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  6. ^ a b "Plant database entry for Cow's Horn (Euphorbia grandicornis) with 19 images, one comment, and 25 data details". garden.org. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  7. ^ "Euphorbia grandicornis". www.llifle.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  8. ^ Blanc (1888), In: Hints Cacti, ed. 2: 68
  9. ^ "Эуфорбия (молочай) - Все о комнатных растениях на flowersweb.info". www.flowersweb.info. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  10. ^ Kemboi, Douglas; Langat, Moses K.; Siwe-Noundou, Xavier; Krause, Rui W. M.; Isaacs, Michelle Louise; Tembu, Vuyelwa Jacqueline (25 Mar 2022). "In vitro antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of Euphorbia grandicornis Blanc chemical constituents". BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 22 (1): 90. doi:10.1186/s12906-022-03571-8. ISSN 2662-7671. PMC 8957186. PMID 35337309.