SPECIES DESCRIPTION
EUPHORBIA TERRACINA
Family and Genus:- See- EUPHORBIACEAE/Sect. ESULA
Common Names:- Coastal spurge, false caper
Homotypic Synonyms:- Esula terracina, Lophobios terracina, Tithymalus
terracinus.
Meaning:- Euphorbia (L) For Euphorbus, physician to the King of Mauritania.
Terracina (L) From Terracina, Latina province S. Italy.
General description:- Medium, glabrous, very fleshy perennial.
Stems:-
1) Up to 70 cm, simple or branched from the base and with 0-5 axillary rays.
Leaves:-
1) Cauline, 15-40(-55) x 4-7(-11) mm, linear-lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, margin
serrulate, imbricate and succulent.
2) Ray-leaves, resembling the upper cauline.
3) Raylet-leaves, deltate-rhombic, sometimes slightly asymmetrical, occasionally
coarsely serrulate.
4) Rays, 4-5, up to 5 times dichotomous.
Flowers:-
1) Umbels, with 4-5 rays,
2) Bracts, oblong to rhombic, green, sometimes dentate.
3) Glands, with two long, slender horns.
Fruit:-
1) Capsule, 3-5 x 4-5 mm, deeply sulcate, smooth.
2) Seeds, 2-2·5 mm, ovoid, pale grey.
Key features:-
1) All leaves entire or minutely serrulate, imbricate and succulent.
2) Glands, with long horns.
3) Projection caruncle, prominent, cymbiform.
4) Raylet-leaves, not connate.
5) Axillary non-flowering branches usually present.
Habitat:- Usually in coastal habitats, sometimes in sandy places, road-sides, open
dry shrubby vegetation and olive groves some distance inland up to 200 m.
Distribution:- Sporadic distribution around the coastal areas of the Mediterranean.
Rare on Crete, known only from a few locations in the northwest coastal area.
Flowering time:- Apr-June.
Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
