Grown in homesteads The wood is used for rafters, toys and veneer. The plant is called “petroleum plant” since it produces a hydrocarbon substance similar to gasoline. The stem latex is used externally to get relief from rheumatism and to remove warts. Also used as a remedy for a
Details
§ 01
uses
The wood is used for rafters, toys and veneer. The plant is called “petroleum plant” since it produces a hydrocarbon substance similar to gasoline. The stem latex is used externally to get relief from rheumatism and to remove warts. Also used as a remedy for ailments such as spleen enlargement, biliousness, leucorrhoea, dyspepsia, colic and tumors.
family
Euphorbiaceae
synonym
Euphorbia geayi Costantin & Gallaud
description
Sacculent shrubs; branchlets terete, articulated. Leaves deciduous, 5-10 mm long, linear-oblong, base cuneate, apex obtuse to subacute. Cyathia clustered in the forks of the branchlets, shortly pedicelled, mostly female. Involucre campanulate; glands 3-5, transversely oval, peltate, lobes short, hairy. Male florets bracteolate, for bracteoles laciniate at tip. Styles short, recurved, 2-lobed. Capsule 5 mm, globose, & cocci compressed, velvety. Seeds ovoid, smooth.
native range
Tropical and subtropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula