Euphorbia antisyphilitica

Euphorbia antisyphilitica

Euphorbia antisyphilitica is a plant of the genus Euphorbia (Euphorbia ) in the family of Euphorbiaceae ( Euphorbiaceae ). It is in the southern native to North America and is used for the extraction of plant raw material candelilla. The epithet of the species means " against syphilis " and was chosen by Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini Erstbeschreiber because an extract of the plant has been used in Mexican folk medicine for the treatment of syphilis.

Description

Euphorbia antisyphilitica is tight from the bases of branching shrubs, reach stature heights of up to about 30 cm. A grown from seed plant produces an underground, succulent and woody caudex of up to about 5 cm in diameter. This is rarely observed, since the plants spread mainly by rhizomes. The cylindrical, about 5 mm thick Stems are succulent at first, but become woody with age. They are leaf green and not or only branch low ( in culture). An educated on the stem axis, reducing the evaporation layer of wax is industrially produced as candelilla wax. The linealischen, about 1 × 4 mm leaves are quickly obsolete. The stipules are very small and glandular.

Short -stalked cyathia appear individually or in small groups from the leaf axils. Your reddish nectar glands wear white appendages that act like bloom and so almost give the cyathia the look of real flowers. The bare, almost spherical capsule fruits contain conical, slightly wrinkled seeds with tiny carunculae.

Dissemination

The home of Euphorbia antisyphilitica are semi-deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States (Texas, Arizona, California). Because of its upright growth and combustible wax it is there, as well as other and similar spurge species ' Candelilla ' ( small candle ) called.

Cultivation

The cultivation of plants is straightforward and can be done as described for cultivation of cacti. Propagation by cuttings is quite easy to perform, but so are the resulting plants rarely a caudex from.